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Lewis: A moonshot for fires

I have watched in horror the unfolding saga of devastation brought on by the fires in southern California. Living here in Edwards, in a rural “forest,” made the connection even more salient. Could the same thing happen here?

First, a few observations. Even when the fire was still in its initial stages, you could see the blame game starting. It covered the gambit starting with climate change down to things like the mayor being out of town, water pressure, bad roads, and old fire hydrants. Discussions even ensued as to whether we should not live in rural areas like this anymore.

One positive comparison I noted was that most homes in California did not seem to have many of the precautions we take here in Eagle County like the requirement for non-combustible roofs (e.g. DaVinci or metal) and limited vegetation surrounding the home. It appeared that many of the homes in California were likely built before this technology even existed.



As a “tech guy,” one of the things I noticed was how little firefighting has changed over the years. The videos of the firefighting could have been from 50 years ago. Pretty much a group of people in a truck arrive, connect to a hydrant and spray water at the flames. I realize this is an oversimplification and I am sure there have been advancements, but could there be more?

In times like this, we will see lots of articles using this event as an example of the impact of climate change and that we need to do more to stop it. While I agree, I submit that we also need to use technology to find ways to help us adapt to our current climate realities. One hurdle is that the market for firefighting technology is simply not large enough to expect that commercial companies will make large investments needed for breakthrough technology.

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How about a moonshot for firefighting and fire prevention technology?

When you look at things like putting a man on the moon or military technology, it takes a public/private partnership to make it happen. Given that federal and state agencies will spend tens if not hundreds of billions in firefighting, aid, and recovery costs for this and other fires, doesn’t it make sense to allocate a few bucks to develop technology that could minimize these disasters in the first place?

A simple example. One of the things I noted was how some homeowners saved their homes from destruction by using garden hoses to extinguish small embers that fell near their homes. Maybe we come up with “ember drones” that can autonomously detect these embers and extinguish them. Earlier fire detection and abatement appear to be another area where technology could help.

I am not professing to be an expert here, but just as with climate change, if we are going to fight something, we need to apply resources and technology to the cause. The payback is potentially enormous. Imagine the insurance cost savings if we could use technology to eliminate 75% of the homes lost from wildfires.

If Israel can build an “Iron dome” that has proven itself capable of stopping most missile and drone attacks, it sure seems logical that we could do more to combat the danger of destruction by fire.

Once the fires are out, I am sure the blame game will jump into high gear. At the end of the day, we must face the simple reality that events like these are going to happen and, as much as we might want to wave a wand and reverse climate change, that is just not realistic. We need to adapt to today’s realities and task our best and brightest toward finding innovative solutions.

Mark Lewis, a Colorado native, had a long career in technology, including serving as the CEO of several tech companies. He’s now retired and writes thriller novels. Mark and his wife, Lisa, and their two Australian Shepherds — Kismet and Cowboy, reside in Edwards.


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