With 26 years of service in the BLM, National Park Service, and US Forest Service, veteran fire manager Dave Dukart provides a rare inside look at the cultures, challenges, and evolution of federal firefighting. He discusses everything from using fire line explosives to the bureaucratic hurdles that stop innovation, and explains why the biggest changes must come from the bottom up.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• A Career Across Agencies: The different missions and fire philosophies of the BLM (multi-use), NPS (preservation), and USFS (a mix).

• Old vs. New Tech: Using fire line explosives to drop trees and the shift to modern tools like drones and BurnBot.

• A New Federal Fire Agency: The breaking news that the federal government plans to consolidate its wildfire services.

• The "Boots on the Ground" Perspective: Why the best way to get new technology adopted is to get buy-in from the firefighters, not just leadership.

• Bureaucratic Hurdles: How procurement rules and a "check-the-box" safety culture can stifle innovation.

• The "Armchair Quarterback": The danger of leadership making decisions without understanding the on-the-ground reality.

• Proactive Training: Why the US is training military crews for fire response before the season peaks, a major shift in strategy.

• Lessons from Prescribed Fire: The personal health risks of "eating smoke" and the complex politics of managing fuel.

Visionary Patric Douglas, founder of FireSwarm Solutions, outlines his plan to revolutionize aerial firefighting by adopting a "Fire-as-a-Service" model built on ultra-efficient, gas turbine drones. Drawing on his background as a tech entrepreneur and his experience with devastating B.C. fires, he details the three major bottlenecks facing the industry and advocates for a massive investment in rapid logistics and high-performance, next-generation suppressants.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• The Formula 1 Model: Why drone logistics must achieve 15-second turnaround times to be effective.

• The Turbine Advantage: Why the physics of heat and altitude currently favor gas turbines over electric batteries for heavy-lift aerial attack.

• The Three Bottlenecks: Identifying the major constraints in the industry: power, suppressants, and adoption.

• Next-Gen Suppression: The need for standardized, powerful powder additives that can be mixed with water anywhere in the world.

• FSAS (Fire-as-a-Service): How private investment in drone fleets can fill the void left by inadequate state resources, especially for private timberlands.

• From Shark Tags to Fire Tech: Patric's fascinating career journey from the Discovery Channel and helicopter companies to the current tech boom.

• The Lasting Impact: Why the economic incentive for rapid, decisive fire suppression must replace the current system's slow, costly approach.

Retired firefighter Keith McMillan shares his raw, powerful journey of leaving a 26-year career due to physical injuries, only to discover his deepest wounds were from PTSI (Post-Traumatic Stress Injury). Now a Wildfire Mitigation Specialist for his own HOA, he details his new mission: protecting his community, educating homeowners with a firefighter's triage perspective, and championing the life-saving importance of "crew checks" and mental health vulnerability.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• A New Model for HOAs: How a private community hired a full-time wildfire expert to manage its 5,000 acres of open space.

• Triage for Your Home: How Keith uses a fire captain's triage criteria to show homeowners their real-world risk.

• The "Crew Check": A vital, non-negotiable check-in for first responders to share their emotional load before a shift begins.

• A Personal PTSI Journey: Keith's moving story of how COVID-driven isolation forced him to confront years of suppressed trauma.

• Life After Fire: How he found a new, fulfilling niche as a part-time park ranger and mitigation specialist.

• From Woe to Go: The importance of proactive evacuation planning, from safe zones to using your car's "biohazard mode."

FYREBX founder Sean Henry tells the incredible story of how getting bored in retirement led him to invent a revolutionary piece of firefighting hardware in his barn. Discover the FYREBX, a multi-tool attachment that turns any compact track loader into a dozer, a 500-gallon water cannon, and a hydro-seeder, and learn how his grassroots strategy of letting firefighters discover its value on their own terms is driving its rapid adoption.

https://fyrebx.com/

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• The FYREBX Innovation: How this patented attachment combines a dozer blade and water tank for incredible stability and effectiveness.

• The "Street Cred" Strategy: Why Sean sold to loggers first, letting CAL FIRE and other agencies discover the product organically.

• Real-World Success: Stories from the field where the FYREBX did the work of multiple engines and saved a dozen homes.

• Feedback-Driven Design: How a suggestion from a CAL FIRE veteran led to the "Hyder Pump," an innovation for rapid refilling.

• The Machine as the Monitor: Why a nimble track loader can be more efficient with water than a traditional engine with long hose lays.

• The Future is Remote: How FYREBX is partnering with tech companies to create remotely operated and even autonomous firefighting machines.

• From Pools to Pulaskis: How Sean's background as a high-end designer and artist informed his engineering process.

LA County Fire Captain Ed Monroe shares his candid, powerful insight into PTSI (Post-Traumatic Stress Injury), emphasizing why mental health must be treated as a physical injury and why help must be sought proactively. Drawing on 17 years of service, he discusses the critical role of peer support, the shock of a firefighter being shot, and the unique challenges and rewards of leading wildland inmate crews.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• PTSI vs. PTSD: Why "Injury" is a more accurate and helpful term than "Disorder."

• The Inmate Crew Program: How this initiative gave men a mission and a path to turning their lives around.

• Peer Support is Essential: Why first responders trust those within their circle and how LA County Fire is utilizing peer mentorship.

• The Warrior's Code: Why the reluctance to ask for help is a dangerous mindset that must be overcome.

• The Retirement Cliff: Why veterans and former first responders are most at risk after losing their daily peer support network.

• The External Threat: The chilling reality of firefighters being targeted while responding to incidents.

• The Fire Culture Shift: Why it's now safer and easier than ever to seek care without career reprisal.

Nova founder and former wildland firefighter Robert Atwood explains how his company is using machine learning to automate the detection of hotspots, turning a complex, multi-hour process into a simple, 10-minute task. Discover how this innovative platform transforms a drone's infrared imagery into a precise "treasure map" for ground crews, integrates seamlessly with the tools firefighters already use, and is changing the standard for declaring a fire "out."

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• The Genesis of Nova: How the frustration of manually processing drone data on the fireline led to a machine learning breakthrough.

• From "Red Line" to "Treasure Map": The critical shift from a simple perimeter map to a detailed map of every heat source.

• The Power of AI: How an ML model trained on 7 million hotspots can find fist-sized heat signatures from 1600 feet in the air.

• A Firefighter-First Workflow: The simple process of uploading drone photos and getting an actionable, geo-referenced PDF map in minutes.

• The "Year of the Integration": How Nova is connecting with the tools firefighters already love, like Avenza Maps and ATAC.

• A New Standard: Why agencies like the Los Angeles Fire Department are now using Nova to scan every brush fire before calling it out.

• The "Three-Legged Stool": Why a drone program is incomplete without a way to turn its data into a valuable product.

Sustainability entrepreneur Josh Dorfman, founder of the media platform Supercool, shares his mission to uncover "real-world climate solutions" that cut carbon while boosting profits and improving modern life. Drawing on his experience launching a carbon-negative building materials company with SpaceX engineers, he reveals the secrets to successful climate-tech startups and the "win-win" innovations that are already changing the world.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• The "Supercool" Philosophy: Why solving climate change doesn't require sacrifice and can actually make life better.

• Planted: The incredible story of creating a carbon-negative building material from a fast-growing grass and landing a 100-million-panel order.

• Win-Win Solutions: How companies are using AI to electrify school buses (Zūm) and eliminate food waste (Wasteless).

• The Circular Economy: A look at "urban mining" for rare earth magnets (Cyclic Materials) and creating a used market for e-bikes (Upway).

• The Art of the Pitch: A masterclass in fundraising, selling your vision, and knowing when to "stop talking."

• The SpaceX Mindset: What it's like working with ex-SpaceX engineers to solve massive problems.

• The Future of Building: A discussion on moving away from flammable materials and the potential of modular homes like Boxabl.

IBHS Senior Director for Wildfire and 30-year CAL FIRE veteran Steve Hawks explains the hard science behind why homes burn and what you can actually do about it. Go inside the IBHS research lab where they create 135-mph ember storms to test full-size houses, and learn why a "systems-based approach"—not just one or two actions—is the only way to protect your home from a high-intensity wildfire.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• The IBHS Mission: How the insurance industry's nonprofit research lab is working to reduce property loss.

• A Systems-Based Approach: Why you can't just clear brush; you must combine defensible space with home hardening.

• The Critical "Zone Zero": The science proving why the first five feet around your home must be non-combustible.

• Structure-to-Structure Spread: How IBHS research is revealing the ways fire jumps from home to home via fences, sheds, and radiant heat.

• Inside the Lab: A look at the full-scale test chamber where they subject houses to hurricane-force winds and ember storms.

• From Paradise to Prevention: How the guest's personal connection to the Camp Fire drives his passion for this work.

• The Retrofit Challenge: Why retrofitting existing homes is the biggest hurdle we face in community protection.

Fire Swarm Solutions founder David Thanh explains how his company is pioneering the use of ultra-heavy-lift drone swarms to attack wildfires, especially during the critical nighttime hours when traditional aircraft are grounded. Inspired by a devastating personal loss in a British Columbia fire, he and his team are developing a new tool for the toolbox that promises more precise, persistent, and safer aerial support for ground crews.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• The Genesis of Fire Swarm: How a catastrophic fire with a fire tornado sparked a radical new idea.

• The Thunder Wasp: A look at the ultra-heavy-lift drone capable of carrying a 72-gallon water bucket.

• The Power of the Swarm: How a group of drones can deliver a continuous flow of water with more precision than a helicopter.

• The Nighttime Advantage: Why operating at night, when fire behavior is often subdued, is a game-changer.

• A New Paradigm: The need to change how we fight fire, not just throw more of the same resources at the problem.

• Human-in-the-Loop: The "crawl, walk, fly" approach to integrating machine learning with the expertise of an Air Attack Officer.

• Overcoming Resistance: The challenges of introducing new, unproven technology into the tradition-bound world of firefighting.

Microsoft's Chris Holloway brings his unique perspective as a former Air Force nuclear weapons specialist to the wildfire crisis, delivering a powerful call for proactive, community-level action. He breaks down why high-tech home suppression systems can fail, why we're too focused on reactive data instead of proactive work, and why the most effective wildfire defense starts with simple, low-tech stewardship of your own property.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• A Nuke Specialist's View on Wildfire: Applying a mindset of constant readiness to community fire defense.

• The WUI is Underperforming: Why most communities are failing at managing their wildland-urban interface.

• The Flaw in Home Suppression Systems: The danger of relying on battery backups during Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS).

• Chasing the Last Disaster: Why using historical data to predict future fires is a flawed strategy.

• The Power of Low-Tech: Why simple actions like adding mesh to your fence and clearing brush are more effective than waiting for a high-tech solution.

• The Landscaper Problem: How aesthetic choices in landscaping can create dangerous fuel loads right next to homes.

• Forcing Functions: The potential role of insurance companies and HOAs in compelling homeowners to mitigate their risk.