Innovating on the Frontlines: The FireTech Podcast

In this episode, host Shefali Lakhina speaks with David Green, Principal Consultant at Green Resilience Insights, LLC. In this role David provides consulting for science and technology innovation, transition, and integration enabling foresight planning and strategy, risk management across weather, water, and climate-impacted sectors. David previously served as Program Manager for NOAA and NASA. As the NASA Applied Sciences Wildland Fires Program Manager, David and his team used space-based instruments and models to support decisions and actions, promote innovation and build capacity in the use of Earth Science. Prior to joining NOAA, David was a Research Fellow at the National Institution of Science and Technology and worked in the private sector as well. David received his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Toronto.

In this episode, host Shefali Lakhina speaks with retired Fire Chief Frank Frievalt, now Director of Cal Poly's Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Fire Institute. Frank previously served as fire chief for the Mammoth Lakes Fire Protection District, division chief of operations for the Sparks Fire Department, among other leadership roles. In his current role at the WUI Fire Institute, Frank is focused on developing a better understanding and implementation of the "mitigations that matter" so communities can be designed in ways that are resilient and well-adapted to fire and smoke impacts.

In this episode, host Shefali Lakhina speaks with Neil Chapman, Wildland Fire Captain for the Flagstaff Fire Department and Summit Fire & Medical District, Arizona. We talk about Neil's wide ranging career in fire adapted land management over the years; how agencies are working together to catalyze systems innovations to modernize workforce capacities; and why it is important to democratize access to beneficial fire for both landscape stewardship and community resilience objectives. Neil is President of the Greater Flagstaff Forest Partnership Advisory Board, 2024 Chair of the Northern Arizona Chapter of the Society of American Foresters, and President of the Friends of Camp Colton Board of Directors. Learn more about Neil here: https://gffp.org/essential_grid/neil-chapman-flagstaff-fire-department-and-summit-fire-medical-district-forest-health-supervisor/

In this episode, host Shefali Lakhina speaks with Josh Wilkins, a seasoned fire captain and wildfire technology consultant with over 27 years of dedicated service at the San Bernardino County Fire Department in Southern California. Josh has managed and responded to numerous wildfires across the western United States, demonstrating a profound commitment to public safety and emergency response. We learn about Josh's journey with FireTech over the years, the kinds of technology he found most useful on the frontlines, and his perspective on how local agencies can catalyze the co-development and early adoption of useful and usable FireTech. Connect with Josh Wilkins here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshwilkins1/

In this first episode, I set the stage for this mini podcast series by summarizing key trends and findings from the State of FireTech 2023 Survey and Annual Update. Download the 2023 report and summary here: https://www.wonder-labs.org/state-of-firetech.html and be sure to take the 2024 FireTech Survey before August 30, 2024 here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/firetech2024 In the next episode, you'll learn from my first guest Josh Wilkins, who recently retired as Fire Captain with the San Bernardino County Fire Department in Southern California! Josh is a second generation firefighter who has led responses to hundreds of wildfires over the past 27 years and will tell us about his journey with FireTech on the frontlines.

This trailer introduces the aims of the Innovating on the Frontlines FireTech Podcast: a mini series that showcases how intrapreneurs within federal, state, and local agencies catalyze innovations. Join us on this learning journey!