Megafire Action

Yesderday, Megafire Action CEO Matt Weiner testified before the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee on the Fix Our Forests Act—a bipartisan step toward tackling the megafire crisis. Takeaways from the hearing: ✅We can’t fix our forests if we don’t have a workforce to do the job. Federal wildland firefighters need urgent support. ✅ Permitting reform is critical to scaling treatment before catastrophic fires strike. ✅ Technology adoption must be accelerated to improve decision-making and fire response nationwide. Megafire is not a partisan issue—it’s an urgent crisis that demands bipartisan action. We’re grateful to the Committee for their leadership and look forward to working together to strengthen this bipartisan, House-passed legislation. Full hearing recording and Matt's written testimony here: https://lnkd.in/eXgpxM4w Gabe Kleinman Kelly Martin Christopher Anthony Sean Duggan Paul Stimers Joy Ditto Paul Petersen George Whitesides Teresa Feo Eric Horne James Campbell Vibrant Planet Anukool Lakhina Sonia Kastner Gregory Smirin Jason Brooks Timothy Barat Allison Wolff Scott Conway Jonny Dyer Bryan Spear Maxwell Brodie Bill Clerico

The stars are aligning for major change in our approach to wildfires. In the aftermath of the LA fires, there is an unparalleled appetite for new ideas on Capitol Hill. In our piece below, we examine a bold idea, one that is not actually new: unifying wildfire mitigation and management under the Department of the Interior: https://lnkd.in/gNCnknNU We've spent months diving deep into this issue and have a few takeaways: —The status quo is simply untenable: our fragmented system is inefficient, costly, and failing to protect communities. —We need unified, landscape-level land management that holistically prioritizes fuels reduction across jurisdictions. —We not only need cutting-edge technology to support smarter decisions (the Wildfire Intelligence Center is moving through the Senate as we speak), but also a unified command structure to act on them. —We can improve accountability on spending, achieve cost synergies, and reinvest savings into hiring more frontline firefighters and fuels mitigation specialists at a livable wage. Senators Sheehy and Padilla have brought this conversation to the Senate. Their with bipartisan legislation proposing a National Wildland Firefighting Service represents a real opportunity to rethink how we plan for and respond to wildfire. It’s time for agencies, firefighters, Tribes, advocates, and policymakers to come together and make it happen. Get up to speed with our latest blog and join the conversation: https://lnkd.in/gNCnknNU

A transformative moment for wildfire management has arrived. This week, Senators Sheehy and Padilla introduced bipartisan legislation directing the Departments of Agriculture and Interior to craft a plan consolidating wildfire management into a National Wildland Firefighting Service. For decades, the wildfire response has been fragmented across multiple departments, creating inefficiencies, slowing decision-making, and leaving communities vulnerable. Over the course of many months, Megafire Action has been conducting deep research into past proposals to rethink this system and consulting experts on how a unified wildfire management structure under DOI could improve coordination and effectiveness. By proposing to unify wildfire decision making under one department and centralize technological decision support under a unified Wildfire Intelligence Center—Congress is poised to fundamentally reimagine how the federal government plans for and responds to wildfire. Congress, agencies, firefighters, Tribes, and forestry/wildfire policy leaders must now work together to refine and implement a structure that truly meets the nation’s wildfire challenges. We look forward to the dialogue this proposal will catalyze. In our latest blog, @EricHorne breaks down USDA-DOI history, the benefits of moving wildfire management responsibility from USDA to DOI, and the cost-saving potential of restructuring federal wildfire management. https://lnkd.in/gNCnknNU Gabe Kleinman Michael Wara Kelly Martin Matt Weiner Eric Horne Teresa Feo James Campbell Kate Dargan Marquis Christopher Anthony Western Fire Chiefs Association Bob Horton Bob Roper Molly Hausmann Keith J. Masback Brian Collins Joy Ditto Paul Petersen Bill Clerico Kim-Mai Cutler Brian Fennessy Dan Munsey, MPA, EFO, CFO Michael Morgan Wildfire Federation of American Scientists Mac Cloyes Phil Hardy George Whitesides Frank Lima Morgan Cashwell Erica Goldman

The House today took a major step toward addressing America’s wildfire crisis by passing the bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act (FOFA)—a bill developed with the policy expertise of Megafire Action. This legislation, co-sponsored by House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-AR) and Scott Peters (D-CA), marks a critical federal victory in wildfire prevention and mitigation. It’s a moment we’ve been working toward, and we couldn’t be more proud to see this progress. What will FOFA do? • Streamline and expedite environmental reviews for forest management projects, reducing costs and planning times while maintaining strong environmental protections. • Create a centralized Fireshed Center to: • Analyze and predict fire risks in high-risk areas using integrated data. • Pre-position wildfire suppression resources based on real-time risk assessments. • Support post-fire recovery efforts, including ecosystem restoration. • Provide publicly accessible tools like fire weather forecasts, data models, and risk assessments. • Establish programs to modernize construction standards, update building codes, and invest in cutting-edge fire detection and suppression technologies for communities and tribes in high-risk areas. • Provide a clear framework for local communities to engage early and actively in wildfire project planning and implementation. • Clarify reimbursement processes for fire departments to ensure they are fairly compensated for wildfire costs. This legislation delivers practical, tangible solutions to strengthen our nation’s wildfire resilience. It addresses the broken systems that have left our forests vulnerable, our communities unprotected, and our firefighters overburdened. Thanks to our partners who worked with us to make this bill passage possible. Gabe Kleinman Michael Wara Kelly Martin Matt Weiner Eric Horne Teresa Feo James Campbell Kate Dargan Marquis Christopher Anthony Western Fire Chiefs Association Bob Horton Bob Roper Molly Hausmann Keith J. Masback Brian Collins Joy Ditto Paul Petersen Michael Dubin Bill Clerico Kim-Mai Cutler Brian Fennessy Dan Munsey, MPA, EFO, CFO Michael Morgan Now, the Senate has the opportunity to build on this momentum. Let’s make it happen!

We’re still reeling from the devastating Los Angeles wildfires. Members of our team have been directly affected and we have surveyed the destruction in person. Our hearts are with the victims, first responders, and communities facing this devastation. We have a responsibility to ensure our institutions are better equipped to handle the extreme conditions that drove these fires. Our first responders are the best in the world, but as our CEO @Matt Weiner told the LA Times, they are operating within systems that need urgent attention from policymakers: "We keep getting overwhelmed. And then our solution set is to look back to the exact systems that keep failing us.” The Los Angeles Times highlighted Congress’ recognition of the urgent need for change. The Fix Our Forests Act isn’t a silver bullet that would have prevented the devastation in LA, but it’s a meaningful step in the right direction—cutting through bureaucracy, prioritizing science-backed solutions, and enabling communities to act before disaster strikes. We continue to work tirelessly to strengthen this legislation and push for bold, practical solutions to meet the moment. This is only the beginning and we’ll have more to share soon. Matt Weiner https://lnkd.in/gdWwEfxd

We appreciate Blockdaemon for including the need to bolster policy transformation in soliciting support for these devastating fires. Our hearts go out to those affected, and we are grateful to the firefighters fighting these fires and all who protect our communities. Gabe Kleinman Matt Weiner Christopher Anthony Kate Dargan Marquis Eric Horne Teresa Feo Kelly Martin Michael Wara Bill Clerico Joy Ditto

Fire as a Force For Good - great read from the National Wildlife Federation https://lnkd.in/gd5E5gRu

🔥 This recent article from the Atlantic Council calls for a unified, coordinated response to wildfires—a call we at Megafire Action wholeheartedly support. In our piece on establishing a Wildfire Intelligence Center, we outlined a vision for precisely the kind of interagency collaboration, real-time data integration, and technological innovation that the Atlantic Council highlights. Creating a central hub to synthesize intelligence across federal, state, and local levels would allow for faster responses, more efficient resource deployment, and better predictive capabilities, ultimately saving lives, homes, and ecosystems. We are proud to see this dialogue gaining momentum and stand ready to collaborate with other organizations on turning these ideas into action. https://lnkd.in/gy6xdxaA Dan Hart Matt Weiner Joy Ditto Eric Horne Teresa Feo Molly Hausmann Keith J. Masback Brian Collins Karen O'Connor Kate Dargan Marquis Dan Munsey, MPA, EFO, CFO Christopher Anthony

Excited to help start a trade group for Firetech companies alongside friends like Matt Weiner, Molly Hausmann, Timothy Barat, Sonia Kastner, Jason Brooks, Jonny Dyer & Maxwell Brodie. https://lnkd.in/euRXtr-x cc: Pano AI Gridware Fire Aside Muon Space Convective Capital