BurnBot, Inc. reposted this
Former Chief Deputy Director & Gov Appointee at CAL FIRE // Working to achieve communities and landscapes resilient to wildfire
Those working for wildland firefighting agencies understand leaving the security of public service is not a decision taken lightly. There is risk in making that decision. As one BurnBot, Inc. employee explained, working in fire at a national level became a negative feedback loop of low pay, chasing overtime to make ends meet, missing family, broken relationships, and a suppression versus prevention focus due to longer fire seasons contributing to fire prone landscapes and larger fires- I found it hard to argue against that logic. I was surprised to meet so many former wildland firefighters on the BurnBot team in forestry operations, one all the way from Australia, and all of whom were committed to seeking different wildfire outcomes. One of my former colleagues pointed out BurnBot has assembled a Type I team for a Type I challenge. In all my years working in this space I have never seen such precise forestry operations or results. Nor did I fully appreciate the concept of how a 'technology stack' can result in more efficient and effective forest health treatments until I saw BurnBot's operation in Amador County- I encourage you to see it for yourself. Other take aways 1. Current contracting procedures don’t envision technology stacks in forest health treatments. They tend to be siloed into individual activities rather than integrated. 2 If we continue to deploy legacy systems and thought processes to address the exponential growth of the wildfire crisis, we should expect to experience the same outcomes; which I believe we all agree are not acceptable. 3. There is a growing movement of individuals choosing to bring their experiences, mindset, and mission driven approach used to combat wildfires, to bend the curve and transform landscapes before fire strikes. It is inspiring. We are at a crossroads. One fork takes us down the known, the comfortable. The other takes us towards a future where what was once perceived as impossible is now possible. There is urgency to our decision and time is not on our side; there will be uncomfortable, disruptive moments to move much needed innovations forward. I am thankful for the time, talent and resources being brought to bear on the wildfire crisis from such a diverse group of individuals, fire agencies, philanthropic organizations, venture capitalists, academia, entrepreneurs, NGO’s, and tribes. Anukool Lakhina Dr. Waleed S, "Lee" Haddad Bill Clerico, George Whitesides, Brandon Dunham, Jason Brooks, Maxwell Brodie, Don Moore, Seth Schalet, Scott Gregory, MBA Ilkay Altintas, Ph.D. Melissa Floca, Genevieve Biggs, Bob Horton, Brian Fennessy, Brian Collins Hussam Mahmoud, Ben Rogers, Marion W. Michael Wara, Matt Weiner, Molly Hausmann, Dan Munsey, MPA, EFO, CFO Rachael Brady, David Saah, Kelly Norris, CF Kevin Sofen, Eddie Sell, Kathleen McIntyre, Kelly Martin, Nick Schuler, CFO, PIO Scott Conway, Andrea Santy, Matt Dias, Kate Dargan Marquis, Ken Pimlott, Amy Berry, Laura McCarthy, Jennee Kuang,