Innovating on the Frontlines: The FireTech Podcast
Innovating on the Frontlines: The FireTech Podcast
Shefali J Lakhina

Innovating on the Frontlines: The FireTech Podcast

Government & OrganizationsTechnologyEnglish
Welcome to the FireTech Podcast! This mini podcast (Season 1) delivers insights from innovators on the frontlines of the wildfire crisis in America. Host Shefali J Lakhina asks how innovation unfolds in public agencies tasked with wildfire preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery. She speaks with fire captains and operators from across the country to understand innovation cycles and early adopter perspectives on FireTech. Episodes offer a deep dive into agency and user experiences with co-developing and deploying technology on the frontlines. The mini podcast aims to spotlight what the innovation cycle looks like for boots on the ground and what kind of FireTech is useful, usable, and actually used on the frontlines of the wildfire crisis in America right now.
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Innovating on the Frontlines with David Green
30 August 2025

Innovating on the Frontlines with David Green

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....
Innovating on the Frontlines with Frank Frievalt
01 August 2024

Innovating on the Frontlines with Frank Frievalt

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...
Innovating on the Frontlines with Neil Chapman
14 June 2024

Innovating on the Frontlines with Neil Chapman

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...
Innovating on the frontlines with Josh Wilkins
06 June 2024

Innovating on the frontlines with Josh Wilkins

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...
The State of FireTech 2023 Survey and Annual Update
21 May 2024

The State of FireTech 2023 Survey and Annual Update

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/firetech2024In the next episode,...
Introductions!
26 April 2024

Introductions!

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!