Today, Seneca announces that
@SBCOUNTYFIRE has become the first agency in California to acquire a
@Seneca_Systems Strike Team of five aircraft plus a Mobile Air Operations Base.
This is the second fire department acquisition of an autonomous aerial fire suppression system in the world. It will being a new set of capabilities to our nation's largest county -- and one that regularly sees nearly 2,000 yearly vegetation fires -- early in 2027.
It also will get the world a little closer to the moonshot goal of
@SBCFireChief Dan Munsey: instant response to keep fires at 100 square feet. Fire grows exponentially. Detection has improved. Autonomous aerial response is the clear next step. We are extremely to partner with the exceptional men and women of San Bernardino County Fire to push the boundaries of what is possible.
San Bernardino County Fire will also put the aircraft into use for fuels management and prescribed fire, cargo hauling, night operations, mop up, and other mission types that will keep firefighters and communities safer.
California's wildfire threat is existential and well documented. It is a true privilege to work with the heroes and leaders in one of the nation's largest and most active districts to turn the tide.
A special thanks to the exceptional broader team in SB for the hard work to make this possible: Robotics PM Jeff Alexy, BC Chris Bowden,
@Chief_Serrano,
@billclerico, Captain Shawn Millerick and to Chris Anthony for making the introduction to Chief Munsey back before both Seneca and FireWERX!
**On a personal note, Dan and San Bernardino was my second call when learning about the fire industry before Seneca. The department staff was generous with their time and wisdom expecting nothing in return. I feel extraordinarily grateful to now call those same individuals friends and partners