There is still time to be a speaker, workshop or special session host, in Florida at the 2026 International Smoke Symposium.
The end of the US Government shutdown has now allowed many people to return to work and consider their submissions so the deadline has been extended to Wednesday November 26, 2025.
We are open to proposals for talks, workshops or other special sessions that meet the needs of global experts and practitioners at the forefront of wildland fire and smoke science.
This premier event convenes air quality specialists, fire professionals, health scientists, policymakers, and technology innovators to explore the complex challenges and emerging solutions surrounding wildland and agricultural smoke.
As a hybrid event, all presentations will be live-streamed and taped for later playback.
From Maryland (2013) to Long Beach (2016) to a fully virtual format in 2020, the International Smoke Symposium continues to evolve—uniting global voices and advancing the science and practice of smoke management. The 2026 symposium will be held in person at the new Leigh Perkins Conservation Education Center in Tallahassee, Florida.
What to Expect:
• Cutting-edge research on smoke tracking, modelling and health impacts.
• Strategies for field management, communication and response.
• Insights into social, ecological and economic implications.
• Training opportunities for operational professionals.
• A showcase of innovative tools and technologies.
Join for the 2026 International Smoke Symposium ISS4, Tallahassee, Florida, March 23-27, 2026. In person and online.The deadlines for submission of proposals for Presentations and for Special Sessions closes on November 26, 2025
The International Association of Wildland Fire has committed to promoting health and wellbeing for wildland fire practitioners, their families and support communities.
The IAWF board has released a position paper Health & Wellbeing in the Wildland Fire Sector, which outlines actions the association will take to ensure everyone involved in the wildland fire sector is aware of mental health challenges and the available support.
The paper outlines the challenges fire practitioners often face, including remote work locations, long assignments, and extended work hours, which contribute to fatigue and high rates of stress, trauma, physical and mental injury.
According to the paper, research indicates that wildland fire practitioners are often repeated victims of direct physical, mental, psychosocial impacts, and injuries. Health and wellbeing can be improved through medical treatments as well as cultural, social, and environmental interventions, the paper says.
The paper defines health and wellbeing in the broadest terms to include cultural, social, social, ecological, physical, mental, and professional wellbeing. In the paper, the term wildland fire practitioners refers broadly to wildland fire managers, firefighters, dispatchers, aviators, land managers, scientists, agency, non-government personnel, volunteers, and contractors.
The paper, which was accepted and endorsed by the IAWF board, was written for the association by members of the diversity and inclusivity committee Phillipa McCormack, DaRon Shavers, and David Riera.
“In publishing this position paper, the IAWF has acknowledged the importance of mental health and wellbeing for the global wildland fire community,” McCormack says.
“Some health and wellbeing considerations for this [wildland fire] community are unique, but many are shared with other emergency and land management sectors, and their families and supporters. We hope that this position paper starts – and helps to maintain – critically important conversations about health and wellbeing across the sector and around the world.”
The IAWF officially launched the paper at the 18th International Wildland Fire Safety Summit and 7th Human Dimensions of Wildland Fire Conference in Calgary, Alberta, in October 2025.
IAWF president Trevor Howard notes that all roles within the wildland fire sector are demanding.
“As climate and fire regimes change, so too will the operational tempo and effects,” Howard said. “While individual, cultural and organizational approaches to wellbeing vary, fundamentally people matter. This paper is a call to action at every level.”
IMPACTS OF WILDLAND FIRE
The paper highlights key research findings about mental health among wildland fire practitioners and recommends actions (see pages 19 and 20) for improving health and wellbeing in the wildland fire sector, joining global efforts for urgent change.
Already, the IAWF advocates for positive health and wellbeing by supporting efforts to influence governments, employers, and policymakers to implement practices that align with increased health and wellbeing among wildland fire practitioners.
The position paper notes that there are many direct and indirect impacts of wildland fire fighting on aspects of health and wellbeing. During fire assignments fire practitioners may be repeatedly exposed to sleep deprivation, job stress, high outdoor temperatures, environmental hazards of rugged terrain, and extreme fire behavior. Impacts on wellbeing can include mental, emotional, cultural and psychosocial stress and injuries from fire, smoke, and heat.
The paper also points to research that indicates employment in wildland fire can limit the availability of alternative job prospects because of the operational tempo of deployments or chronic fire-related injuries. Stress from fire assignments may trigger relationship breakdowns linked to post-traumatic stress and substance abuse. Financial and economic consequences sometimes arise, such as lost work time resulting from injuries, and long-term expenses associated with gradual health impacts.
According to the paper, cultural impacts of working in the wildland fire sector can include systemic harm from culturally unsafe workplaces and environments – conditions that harm First Nations’ and culturally and linguistically diverse peoples’ cultural, spiritual, emotional and physical health. Research cited in the paper shows that wildland fires can have various effects on communities, including evacuations, loss of homes, property, significant sites, aspects of culture, social connections, and livelihoods, which impact health and wellbeing of residents and fire practitioners.
PATHWAYS FOR CHANGE
The paper indicates that health and wellbeing in the wildland fire sector can be improved through coordinated efforts at individual, workplace, and systemic levels, and provides examples of tools in each category.
• Pathways and actions to enhance health and wellbeing start with individual responsibility for health, fitness, readiness, recovery and resilience, action plans, and peer-to-peer mentoring.
• Workplace pathways can include cultural competency and cultural safety training, along with mandatory emotional intelligence programs for team leaders.
• Systemic actions may include researching and identifying pathways for reform to legislation, regulations and policy. People will only be able to use these tools and mechanisms if the financial, emotional and cultural barriers to accessing and using them are removed.
CONTRIBUTING FACTORS
The paper points out that research on wildland fire practitioners’ health is limited, particularly around long term risks such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. Limited research may be due to fire practitioners rarely seeking help, particularly for mental health, despite facing significant physical and psychological stress. According to the paper and previous research, organizational culture and fear of appearing weak contribute to reluctance, leading to issues such as substance abuse, burnout, and disproportionately higher suicide rates among people who work in the wildland fire sector.
The mental-health paper references previous IAWF position papers on climate change and prescribed fire, and notes that climate change is another important factor impacting wildland fire practitioners. Wildfires are becoming larger, more frequent and destructive, in large part due to climate change. Climate change is increasing the length and severity of fire seasons, which will require fire crews to be on call or deployed for longer periods during the fire season. According to the climate-change paper, these long deployments “reduce the time that wildland fire practitioners have to rest, recover and heal from long and intense fire campaigns.” Climate change worsens health risks, with wildfire smoke increasingly aggravating conditions like asthma and lung disease.
The IAWF Position Statement: Health and Wellbeing in the Wildland Fire Sector is a call to action for organizations that employ wildland fire practitioners to encourage them to take steps to increase health and wellbeing. The paper notes a need for these entities to “commit substantial resources and make a sustained effort to provide health-related education, training and other interventions to contribute enhanced wellbeing, greater resilience, and long term support for those experiencing injury and trauma.
“Existing efforts have not consistently and successfully mitigated the harm experienced by many people and communities in the wildland fire sector,” the paper says. “As climate changes and wildfire events expand in their scale, scope and duration, these are challenges that the IAWF have identified as critically important and worthy of greater commitment and effort.”
Fire practitioners and agencies often encounter financial, emotional and cultural barriers when working to improve health and wellbeing. Removing these obstacles and ensuring practical access to resources is essential for improving outcomes in the wildland fire sector.
The paper explains the IAWF’s vision, “to seek and promote and contribute to the mental, cultural, physical, and emotional safety of wildland fire practitioners worldwide; and to foster meaningful connections within and across wildland fire practitioner communities, to help build resilience and sustain health and wellbeing.”
The IAWF is committed to promoting opportunities for research, knowledge and experience sharing. To achieve this vision, the IAWF proposes four actions
IAWF ACTIONS
1. Understand the range of stressors affecting wildland fire practitioners, including the compounding and interacting direct and indirect effects of those stressors on health, wellbeing and ‘connectedness.
2. Foster safety, tolerance and diversity in all its forms, along with open communication about health and wellbeing for wildland fire practitioners across countries, cultures and contexts.
3. Promote a culture of active support for wildland fire practitioners to manage these stressors and build and maintain physical, emotional, cultural and other forms of health and wellbeing.
4. Develop and communicate holistic and nuanced messages about health and wellbeing for wildland fire practitioners; including to policymakers, fire agencies, fire practitioners, and non-government organizations associated with wildland fire, including those in support, communication and service provision roles.
In addition, the IAWF has committed to five key actions the association and its members can implement immediately to increase the awareness of health and wellbeing, including building partnerships, advocating for better practices, and creating safe spaces for conversations and mentoring at IAWF events.
Enhancing the health and wellbeing of wildland fire practitioners will contribute to sustaining a resilient and highly qualified workforce and will benefit communities and cultures.
IAWF Commitments
1. Advocate for better understanding and responses to the full range of stressors influencing health and wellbeing;
2. Create and cultivate safe spaces for conversation, empowerment, connection and mentoring at IAWF-supported events and in IAWF programs;
3. Partner with agencies and other organizations to promote the importance of health and wellbeing;
4. Advocate for improvements in policies, practices, workplace cultures and norms that negatively affect health and wellbeing of the wildland fire community, across the world;
5. Investigate new partnerships to facilitate access to new resources, guidance and support for members of the wildland fire sector and their families, communities and environments.
Rich McCrea is an Associate Editor of Wildfire magazine. During his career, McCrea worked 32 years in fire management and forestry with several federal agencies. Outfitted with a degree in forestry, McCrea started his career as a seasonal employee with the US Forest Service as a forestry technician and member of the Helena Interagency Hotshot Crew, then moved on to permanent positions with the US Department of Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, as a forester and fire management officer at three different field locations, and at the National Interagency Fire Center.
Taking inspiration from the Iron Dome air defense system that intercepts, targets and destroys incoming rockets to Israel, the newly developed FireDome aims to protect communities from wildfire attack by detecting, targeting and suppressing spot fires before they grow big.
FireDome recently demonstrated its system that features a large AI powered mechanical launcher that rapidly rotates, swivels and adjusts to release retardant or water capsules to suppress fire or create a firebreak.
The launcher has a range of 1000 ft (300m) but FireDome is working on extending that range. The launcher can hold 3000 capsules, each with a capacity of 10 gallons (37 litres), and can reload and fire every 5 seconds.
The AI can detect the intrusion of people, animals, cars or aircraft, and can actively monitor a moving fire front. The company says that tests under more challenging conditions are ongoing, including under varied wind conditions which have the potential to blow any capsule off course.
So, how much does this cost to set it up in your community? The company told Wildfire Today: “Low six figures per year for an end to end service we provide that includes the system and additional fire mitigation tools.”
Advisor to FireDome and former U.S. Fire Administrator, Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell, is quoted on the company website. “FireDome exemplifies the type of breakthrough innovation needed to alter our relationship with wildfire risk,” she said.
“The integration of automated systems with precision suppression technology creates an opportunity for technology to be considered as a variable in risk-based insurance models and in community resilience strategic plans.”
FireDome plans to begin US installations in 2026, partnering with property owners, vineyards, HOAs, resorts, utilities, insurers and the fire service in wildfire-prone regions. Beyond that it is looking to Canada, Europe and Australia as potential markets.
Carbon project insurance company Artio used data from three major wildfire events from across the globe, specifically the 2020 Pantanal fires in Brazil, the Gospers Mountain fire during Australia’s Black Summer in 2019-2020, and the record-breaking 2020 wildfire season in the United States.
The firm found that the amount of area burned in each of the fires was only predicted by severe warming scenarios. More moderate climate warming scenarios missed around half of the land that ultimately burned during the incidents.
The finding underscores how projects working to lessen wildfire severity globally may already be outdated, according to Artio CEO and Co-Founder Bilal Hussain.
“The main risk is that projects are designed for a climate that no longer exists,” Hussain told Wildfire Today. “Using outdated assumptions can result in projects being sited in areas that are now far more fire-prone, threatening the permanence of stored carbon and the credibility of nature-based solutions as meaningful climate tools.”
Hussain said that even the Wildfire agreement, recently signed at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP30, relies on moderate climate outlooks than severe ones. The agreement recognizes that climate change is worsening fire risk and calls for stronger prevention and adaptation, but Hussain said it doesn’t reflect that our extreme reality is already the norm.
Officials should begin prioritizing regions with lower exposure to compound heat and drought, or those with naturally fire-adapted ecosystems that can recover without total biomass loss as a result of Artio’s study, according to Hussain. Adaptive fire management strategies should also be considered standard project design features, and risk models should be continuously updated to reflect ever-changing ground and climate conditions.
“Our study suggests that, for such frameworks to be effective, they must assume severe climate scenarios as the default and integrate the data driven tools and modelling now needed to plan for those conditions,” Hussain said.
Artio provides early-stage insurance for investments in carbon projects and is incorporated as a company in England and Wales.
Over 50 countries and high-level organizations signed a global call to action focused on wildfires at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP30, which is happening in Belem, Brazil this week.
The agreement, called Call to Action on Integrated Fire Management and Wildfire Resilience, aims to elevate integrated fire management practices like empowering land actors, reforestation, and global wildfire monitoring.
“We affirm our commitment to promoting a global transition from reactive fire suppression toward proactive, prevention-driven, inclusive and ecological fire management strategies that strengthen adaptation and contribute to mitigation, protect biodiversity and combat desertification, through risk-informed planning and implementation covering the entire fire cycle (prevention, preparedness, response, recovery, and ecological use of fire),” the signatories said.
Notably absent from the call to action’s signatories were the United States, which didn’t send a delegate to the conference, and Australia. The signatories included:
Algeria, Armenia, Austria, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, Democratic People`s Republic of Korea, Dominica, Ecuador, Federal Republic of Germany, France, Gabão, Ghana, Georgia, Greece, Guine Bissau, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Lebanon, Liberia, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Philippines, Peru, Portugal, Republic of Guinea, Republic of Korea, Republic of the Sudan, Ruanda, Russia, Spain, St. Vicent and the Grenadines, Sudan, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Zambia, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) and the United Nations Environment Programme.
Australia’s fire preparedness just got smarter, more colourful and easier to access.
A new satellite-derived product from Geoscience Australia helps monitor fuel moisture (vegetation dryness) across Australia in near real time. The tool uses Earth observation to provide a clear visual assessment of vegetation flammability.
Developed in partnership with The Australian National University’s Bushfire Research Centre of Excellence, the Digital Earth Australia Fuel Moisture Content assesses fire risk, by estimating the percentage of water mass relative to dry mass in living vegetation based on its spectral signature.
Vegetation moisture changes in the south-west of Western Australia between August 2024 (left) and November 2024 (right). Digital Earth Australia Fuel Moisture Content.
Australia’s hot, dry climate and expansive bushland make understanding vegetation dryness critical for managing bushfire risk.
The DEA Fuel Moisture Content product enables fire and land managers to monitor and map the dryness of vegetation across different landscapes and compare over different time periods to understand changes and trends over time.
The data is delivered as imagery with a 20 by 20 m pixel size and is freely available via DEA Maps and DEA Knowledge Hub.
Updated every few days, at 20-metre resolution, it shows where the landscape is ready to burn before fires start.
The tool was launched with the claim that this is the first time fire agencies, land managers and Indigenous fire practitioners can see precisely where the landscape is ready at this level of detail for the whole continent.
The director of the ANU Bushfire Research Centre of Excellence Professor Marta Yebra began the early work on this tool for her PhD in Spain and built it up into the Digital Earth Australia product of today.
“It’s a glimpse into the future of bushfire management, where satellites and other technologies act like a nervous system for the continent, constantly sensing and responding to changes in the landscape long before smoke fills the sky.” explains Prof Marta Yebra.
Two 2023 fireground incidents – one involving an entrapped crew in a high-risk planned ignition, the other a firefighter death in a vehicle – has triggered the British Columbia worker safety agency to levy a record-high fine against the province’s government, the second such fine in the same number of years.
WorkSafeBC began considering the most recent fine in May of this year after a planned ignition in 2023 trapped a team of five Brazilian firefighters and forced other crews involved in the burn to navigate off-road when their escape route was compromised, according to the agency’s penalty summary. The agency blamed a lack of planning, training, and communication for the incident, along with supervisors not following the employer’s safety program and operations manual.
A separate 2023 incident was also added to the penalty, where a firefighter died and another was injured when their UTV went over a steep embankment. The agency said neither worker was wearing a helmet, the passenger wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, and the passenger-side retention netting had previously been damaged. Inadequate supervision, a lack of safe work procedures, and a lack of pre-use inspection of the UTV were all contributing factors.
The combined fine was imposed is $759,368.84 (CAD). The fine is the largest that the agency has ever levied, second only to the $710,488.79 penalty it also issued against the BC government in 2023 for unsafe wildfire mitigation work. That fine was ultimately cancelled in 2024.
“Administrative penalties are fines imposed on employers for health and safety violations of the Workers Compensation Act, the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation, and/or orders of WorkSafeBC, and for failure to take sufficient precautions to prevent workplace injuries or illnesses,” the agency said on its website. “Penalties are published as a deterrent and to highlight the importance of making workplaces safe.”
The record-high fine caused the B.C. General Employees’ Union, which represents over 2,000 wildland firefighters, to demand the province’s Wildfire Service address its alleged inadequate supervision, training and risk assessments to protect its wildland firefighters. The Union has previously pressed the Service to address high turnover and inconsistent safety practices.
“This decision confirms what our members have been saying for years, that systemic safety issues within the BC Wildfire Service are putting workers at risk,” said Union President Paul Finch in a press release on Friday. “We welcome WorkSafeBC’s direction to bring the employer into compliance with basic health and safety obligations. Every worker deserves to come home safe at the end of the day.”
The 2023 wildfire season was the most destructive in B.C.’s history, with over 7 million acres burned, hundreds of homes destroyed, and tens of thousands of people forced to evacuate. The fires stressed local economies, infrastructure, and local ecology, but also had an unquantifiable impact on the province’s firefighting force, partly caused by the deaths of six wildland firefighters.
Researchers have identified a knowledge gap between what scientists have discovered about wildfire smoke and the practical information available to frontline crews.
The study provides an overview of both published science and organisational reports and standards for minimizing exposure and mitigating health risks for firefighters. The review was conducted by Australian and US researchers with results relevant to all firefighters in hot and smoky environments.
Bushfire smoke is a complex mixture of hazardous substances. Inhalation poses acute and chronic health risks to firefighters, including respiratory and cardiovascular effects and potential risk for certain cancers.
But any health-risk analysis is made complex by the great variation in exposure levels that are influenced by vegetation type, fire behaviour and weather, and the varied behaviours and activities of individuals. Hence the need identified by the paper to distil the current science into practical guidelines for firefighters.
The review emphasizes the importance of personal protective equipment (PPE), improved decontamination protocols, the need for real-time exposure monitoring and adequate exposure reduction policies.
The key takeaway is that firefighters face a “total exposure” risk, and the danger doesn’t stop when they are no longer breathing in smoke, explains lead author Dr Maximilien Desservettaz, a Research Fellow from the University of Wollongong.
“A critical finding we highlight is that the skin is a major and under-appreciated pathway for toxic, carcinogenic chemicals to enter the body. The intense heat and heavy sweating from firefighting can dramatically increase the skin’s permeability. Our review of the science shows that sweat can act like a solvent, pulling carcinogens like PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) from the soot on their gear and skin into their bodies,” said Dr Desservettaz.
“This is immediately useful for firefighters because it provides the scientific “why” behind rapid and thorough decontamination. It confirms that washing your skin and properly cleaning your gear isn’t just about cleanliness, it’s a critical health and safety procedure to stop that ongoing chemical exposure.”
The paper also clarifies the limitations of PPE. For instance, the researchers confirm that the P2/N95-style masks common in wildland firefighting are excellent for particles but provide zero protection against the many toxic gases in smoke, such as benzene, formaldehyde, and hydrogen cyanide.
Also, PPE may inadvertently introduce secondary hazards for fire fighters. Face masks worn during times of intense physical exertion in hot environments can restrict breathing and potentially increase fatigue. Masks may also restrict peripheral vision and impede clear communication. PPE clothing with chemical layers for high thermal protection may contribute to heat stress by trapping body heat and sweat.
“Ultimately, this research provides the evidence base for firefighters and agencies to make informed risk-management decisions. It validates the concerns firefighters have had for years and provides a scientific basis for enhancing safety protocols, from consistent PPE use to, most critically, effective after-fire decontamination.”
The paper is part of a broader study funded by the NSW Bushfire and Natural Hazards Research Centre. The researchers are now working with the peak body for fire agencies in Australia, the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council, to translate these findings into practical educational materials.
A joint research paper from researchers in California and New South Wales examined the similarities and differences between prescribed fire management in the United States and Australia, and found that Australia is much more efficient in the practice compared to the U.S.
The conclusion stemmed from Australia’s comparatively quick burn implementation process, the paper published in the Fire Ecology journal said. While setting up a prescribed burn on federal lands can take years in the U.S., Australian officials can often plan and set a burn in the same year with specialist feedback.
“The idea that you could plan and implement a burn in the same year, including incorporating specialist feedback and comply with various laws/statutes aimed at environmental protection, is rare in US federal and state agencies,” the paper said. “Australia has streamlined the process to facilitate implementation. Additionally, the responsibility to manage public lands in Australia is primarily the responsibility of states and territories, with the few exceptions of a small number of parks and other lands utilized by the Australian Government agencies and the Department of Defence.”
The U.S., however, has numerous sources of institutional education that Australia lacks, according to the researchers. The U.S. has numerous prescribed fire courses, training centers, and a collection of fuel moisture history, many of which land managers in Australia have learned from and implemented in their nation’s burn programs. Australia, in contrast, mainly relies on a dwindling volunteer workforce supplemented by land managers without dedicated courses that teach ignition patterns or techniques.
“Practitioners across Australia implementing complex burns could benefit from the US learnings, prescribed fire training centers, and firing boss taskbooks which include ignition patterns and techniques,” the paper said. “Prescribed burns are implemented with good success in Australia; however, there can be a lack of efficiency (not maximizing the burn window) or higher severity burns can occur when ignition patterns are not adjusted for the conditions.”
The paper, “Australia and the United States have many similarities and differences in prescribed fire management: learning from each other” is by Brian Levine, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, and Scott Stephens, University of California.
Wildfire Today reached out to paper co-author Stephens for further comment on the research. He deferred to the published paper.
Aerial wildfire response has taken a leap forward with the showcasing of new drone technology that aims to hit fires early and fast.
Fresh from its recent launch seeded by $60 million in capital raising, Seneca demonstrated its wildfire suppression drones at the Red Sky Summit in San Francisco this week, with plans to expand its reach beyond the US if successful.
Seneca is building an autonomous fire suppression system that includes autonomous suppression drones that carry 100 lbs, shoot with 100 PSI, and use AI to navigate and knock down fires, with the aim of cutting response times to under 10 minutes.
Seneca wildfire suppression drones
The aerial systems can be launched remotely, needing only an approximate fire location, with the intention striking before a small fire-start becomes a large wildfire. It also has the potential to support prescribed burns and fuel reduction efforts.
The California-based company’s mission is stated variously on its website “to protect…” or “to eliminate” the wildfire threat across 500 million acres in the US and “allied nations” by 2035.
Wildfire Today sought to clarify the concept of an “allied nation” and was informed by Seneca that it sought to serve nations and communities that shared common values. “We expect the western US to host our first deployment sites, and we are grateful to have active dialogue with partners in Canada, Chile and Australia. We do expect to go to international markets in the coming years.”
Seneca wildfire suppression drones
Stuart Landesberg, founder and CEO of Seneca, believes that technology is central to that mission. “Our hope is to empower firefighters in situations that were previously impossible, unsafe, or inefficient. The American way of life has always been about pioneering. Technology is how we will protect communities, preserve our environment, and create a more resilient civilization.”
But the technology focus is not without the human touch, according to Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell, the former US Fire Administrator, and now one of many advisors working with Seneca.
“These AI-powered drones don’t replace our brave men and women on the front lines; they amplify their capabilities while keeping them out of harm’s way. When a drone can deliver rapid water or retardant deployment without risking human life, we’re talking about a paradigm shift that will save both firefighter and civilian lives,” according to a Moore-Merrell statement on the company website.
Senaca’s mission is backed with $60 million led by Caffeinated Capital and Convective Capital with participation from First Round Capital, Transition DCVC, Offline Ventures, and others.
The company says it will use this funding to improve capabilities, harden the overall system, increase production, and roll out the first systems in the field during the 2026 US fire season.
“We have flown test, demonstration, and fuel reduction missions with dozens of fire agencies across CA and in four states. We have never operated internationally but expect to go to international markets in the coming years,” the company told Wildfire Today.
