The Fire Break | Innovations in Wildfire

Former 20-year Congressman Curt Weldon, founder of the Congressional Fire Caucus and the FIRE Grant program, delivers a fiery call to action for the American fire service to reclaim its power and demand change at the highest levels. He reveals the shocking inside stories of battling bureaucracy to get firefighters the technology and resources they deserve—from the fight for interoperable communica...

Retired Battalion Chief Mark Whaling, a 42-year veteran of the fire service, shares the story behind his groundbreaking invention, the Heli-Hydrant—a permanent, pilot-activated water source for firefighting helicopters. Discover how a simple observation led to a system that ends the inefficient and time-consuming process of dipping from ponds or portable tanks, and learn the gritty lessons of inno...

UL's Baylie Scott from the Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI) unveils NERIS, the new national fire data system set to replace the 50-year-old NFIRS. Discover how this modern, location-based platform will revolutionize the way fire departments report and use data—from tracking emerging hazards like EV fires to empowering chiefs with the evidence they need to justify resources and save lives. In...

Patrick Wright, Director of California's Wildfire and Resilience Task Force, explains the monumental one-million-acre-per-year mission to make the state's forests and communities more resilient to megafires. Discover the dual strategies for Northern and Southern California, the critical role of prescribed "good fire," and how the task force is breaking down decades-old silos betw...

HazAdapt founder and CEO Ginny Katz, MPH, introduces a new type of safety app designed to combat alert fatigue and provide "just-in-time" guidance that works offline during a crisis. Discover the importance of personal resilience, the power of a prepared mindset, and the innovative ways technology can help communities measure their readiness and individuals take control of their own safety. In thi...

This episode has an intermittent sound glitch Retired FDNY Chief Frank Leeb, now with the First Responder Center for Excellence, breaks down the "firefighter blindside"—the hidden health risks like cancer, heart disease, and PTSD that are the biggest threats to the fire service today. Discover the leadership principles, training philosophies, and practical steps needed to build more resi...

NIST fire protection engineer Alexander Maranghides, a recent winner of the Samuel Heyman Service to America Medal for his decades of fire science research delivers a deep-dive into the complex science of why communities burn in the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) and why our current approaches are often failing. Drawing on decades of research and in-depth case studies of catastrophic events like t...

Biomass utilization consultant and 27-year Forest Service veteran Jim Archuleta explains why the key to preventing catastrophic wildfires lies in managing the smallest fuels, and how ancient technologies like biochar offer a powerful, modern solution. Discover the science of turning forest waste into a potent soil amendment that improves water retention, sequesters carbon, and can even destroy &qu...

DICOSI CEO Torsten Gerwig details the incredible power of the Turbo Hydrojet system, which uses repurposed civilian jet engines to create a massive water mist capable of extinguishing industrial fires, ventilating tunnels, and battling wildfires from a safe distance. Learn about the German engineering behind this unique technology, its evolution from chemical plants to disaster zones, and the deve...

Cindy Devlin-Musick, Director of Vegetation Management, reveals the complex, high-tech world of keeping trees off power lines to prevent 70-80% of all outages. From helicopter aerial saws to satellite imagery that detects sick trees from space, learn how utilities proactively manage thousands of miles of forest to ensure reliability and how these same practices can create essential habitats for po...

Founder Jeff Denholm tells the incredible story behind Strong Water Tech, a new fire suppression gel born from his experiences as a wildland fire contractor, a big-wave surfer, and his drive to protect firefighter health. Discover the innovative chemistry that allows this non-toxic gel to multiply water's effectiveness and flow through standard equipment without clogging, and learn about the decad...

Southwest Tennessee Fire Chief Bradon Fletcher discusses the new reality of battling larger, faster-moving wildfires in a region historically unaccustomed to them, and the critical need for forward-thinking training. Drawing on 25 years of experience, Chief Fletcher breaks down the challenges of rural firefighting, the vital science of Hazmat response, and why being a volunteer is never an excuse...

Author David Alexander dives into the provocative ideas from his new book, "Disaster Nation," challenging our entire approach to disaster management, from FEMA's role to the perverse incentives that encourage risk. Learn why our current system creates "disaster inflation," how smarter public-private partnerships can lead to real resilience, and why the future of safety isn&...

UC Davis Professor Michele Barbato explains why current fire-resistant homes still have a 50/50 chance of survival in a wildfire and how ancient earthen construction techniques hold the key to a truly fire-resilient future. Discover how compressed earth blocks can withstand extreme heat, drastically cut energy bills, and offer a sustainable solution to the intertwined housing, insurance, and clima...

Julien Gastaldi, a CO2 reduction specialist, explains how ancient indigenous fire management techniques from Australia are being revived with modern technology to combat wildfires, reduce emissions, and create sustainable livelihoods. Discover how "fire as a tool" can transform our approach to land management, offering a path to ecological health and economic benefits, with lessons now being expor...

Dr. Katharyn Duffy, a leading expert in wildfire carbon interactions from Vibrant Planet and Northern Arizona University, reveals the often-underestimated long-term carbon impacts of severe wildfires and discusses how climate change is reshaping our forests. Discover the science behind forest resilience, the critical role of sustainable forestry in carbon capture, and innovative approaches to help...

Mosmart's Fraser Donaldson and Andrew Nott detail their innovative mineral-based fire retardant, Marine 3, offering a potentially revolutionary, eco-friendly alternative to traditional chemical foams. Join us as these UK innovators discuss their journey from farming and artificial grass to tackling global wildfires with a product that's gaining traction across Europe as a PFAS-free solutio...

Former WA Fire Chief Hilary Franz unpacks the critical strategies for tackling escalating wildfires, detailing Washington State's innovative approaches to fire suppression, forest health, and community resilience. Discover how bold leadership and cutting-edge technology are reshaping our fight against an ever-growing threat, and learn what it truly takes to protect our communities and natural...

Wildfire disasters are accelerating across the globe, and climate scientist Daniel Swain says we’re dangerously unprepared for what’s coming next. Climate scientist Daniel Swain discusses the growing complexity of wildfire events in a warming world. From fire weather science to the failures of over-suppression, Swain explains why our current strategies aren’t cutting it—and what has to change. The...

🌿 Learn more about Teal’s work at Lab to Land: labtolandinstitute.org Can fire prevention become profitable? In this episode of The Fire Break , host Steve Wolf talks with Teal Brown Zimring , Executive Director of Lab to Land and Managing Partner at Galvanize Partners , about the emerging intersection of wildfire economics, biomass utilization, and biotechnology. Teal’s background in political e...

Welcome Michelle Friess, Flight Operations Coordinator at Bridger Aerospace, one of the leading companies in aerial wildfire suppression. Michelle schedules scooper pilots, coordinates operations across a growing national fleet, and helps ensure fire aircraft and crews are where they’re needed—fast. 🎯 Topics Covered: -What it’s like managing aircraft and crews during fire season -Why wildfires ar...

Wildfire Expert Keith Parker on ICS, Firefighting Evolution, and Leadership Lessons Former Marin County Fire Marshal Keith Parker joins The Fire Break to reflect on 33 years in wildland fire. From the early days before ICS to today’s high-tech firefighting, Keith shares battle-tested wisdom on: 🚒 Crew safety & command 🛰️ Equipment evolution (dozers, aircraft, engines) 📻 ICS: flexibility vs....

What if we could model the chemistry of wildfire down to the molecule—and stop it before it spreads? Nigerian wildfire researcher Abraham Zhiri joins Steve Wolf from Cambridge University to explore how fluid dynamics, heat equations, and detonation models are reshaping how we understand and suppress fire. Abraham shares his journey from the forests of Nigeria to a lab in the UK, where he's mod...

Can a blanket help firefighters and first responders sleep better? Elizabeth Grojean, founder of Baloo Living, says yes—and the science backs her up. Elizabeth Grojean left the corporate world for Bali and returned with a mission: to help people sleep better through the power of deep pressure touch. Her company, Baloo Living, makes weighted blankets designed to calm the nervous system and improve...

How do military strategy, AI, and community resilience come together in wildfire response? Robert Baird breaks it down in this essential Fire Break episode. In this extended conversation, host Steve Wolf sits down with Robert Baird—retired U.S. Marine and former Fire Director for Region 5 of the U.S. Forest Service—to explore the intersection of wildfire leadership, military strategy, risk communi...