Shaping the Future of Wildfire Prevention and Suppression
According to the UCLA Anderson School of Management, last year’s wildfires in LA caused between $76-$133 billion in damages and according to data from the University of Maryland, forest fires now burn more than twice as much tree cover each year as they did two decades ago. To put it simply, wildfires are more dangerous than ever and causing more damage than ever. With that said, the technology to prevent and mitigate wildfires is improving rapidly, making the path to less dangerous wildfires a possibility. Now it is up to the agencies, utility companies, and fire departments to adopt and implement the technology.
The Wildfire Technology Summit is where your expertise meets collective action. This is your opportunity to exchange ideas, discover cutting-edge technology, and form partnerships that accelerate real-world wildfire mitigation. From advanced detection systems to resilient infrastructure, every conversation and session is designed to help you lead the charge in transforming how we tackle wildfire challenges.
You'll connect with industry leaders, wildfire agencies, academia, and representatives from utilities and power companies, to collaboratively address and advance solutions for the prediction, prevention, detection, suppression, and mitigation of destructive wildfires. Together, we’ll shape the future of wildfire management and technology development.
Wondering What's In Store?
The Wildfire Technology Summit brings together over 300 senior agency leaders, program managers, and industry professionals to discuss the most important issues facing the wildfire community.
Over the course of two days, we will look at best practices for integrating data and emerging technology to advance wildfire mitigation efforts. That includes overviews of the use of geospatial technology and the use of drones and robotics.
It was a great event to connect with wildfire leaders, understand the challenges that they are currently facing and the technologies that could be used to solve them.
It is a great way to learn about the industry needs and to connect with the right decision-makers and technology providers
Important to everyone in wildfire technology.
Great event where folks can actually talk to industry/government folks that can make things happen.
Chair: Kim Zagaris – Wildfire Policy and Technology Director, Western Fire Chiefs Association
Paul Linse – National Aviation Program Director, USDA Forest Service
Chief Nick Schuler – Deputy Director, CAL FIRE
Chief Scott Gregory – Deputy Director, CAL FIRE
Jamie Barnes – Forestry, Fire and State Lands Director, Utah Department of Natural Resources
Sean Allen – Chief, Forest Logistics & Support, Florida Forest Service
Dustin Miller – Director, Idaho Department of Lands
Tom Cwik – Chief Technology Officer, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Chief Kevin Fetterman – Division Chief, Command and Emergency Planning Division, Orange County Fire Authority
Phillip Selegue – Staff Chief Intelligence, CAL FIRE
Ian McCubbin – Project Manager and Systems Engineer, NASA
Lisa Lien-Mager – Deputy Secretary for Forest and Wildfire Resilience, California Natural Resources Agency
Chief David Scheurich – Staff Chief – Cooperative Fire Protection, CAL FIRE
Chief Brian Marshall – Fire and Rescue Chief, Cal OES
Kris Kirkland – Chief Pilot, Nevada Department of Forestry
Chief Mike Morgan – Director, Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control
Peyton Bennett – UAS Operations Manager, Florida Forest Service
Chuck Macfarland – Chief of Air Operations, City of San Diego Fire-Rescue Dept
Johnny Sabo – NA, Georgia Forestry Commission
Michael Norton – Director General, Northern Forestry Center, Canadian Forest Service
Dan McKeague – Director, Field Services & Innovation Center, National Technology & Development, US Forest Service (Subject to Final Approvals)
Chief Scott Eckman – Battalion Chief-Aviation Program, CAL FIRE
Rob Scott – Assistant Chief, CAL OES
Chief Robert Garcia – Fire Chief, Angeles National Forest, US Forest Service
Chris Anthony – Executive Director, FireWERX
Chief Jack Worden – Deputy Chief – Office of Wildfire Technology, Research & Development, CAL FIRE
Chief Jeffrey Johnson – CEO, Western Fire Chiefs Association
Please fill in your name and email to receive the Summit Agenda of this event.
Venue
Kona Kai Resort 1551 Shelter Island Dr, 92108 San Diego, CA
Group Rate: $250.00 per night, including Resort Fee, excluding breakfast and applicable taxes and fees.
Reservation Method: Reserve your room by clicking HERE. We have reserved a selection of rooms at a discounted group rate, subject to availability.
Cut-off date: Monday, March 23rd, 2026. (After that time, the group rate will be offered based on hotel availability only.) Rate is available 3 days prior, and 3 days post the event dates. However, these rates are subject to availability and will not be available past the group cut of date.
