SQUAMISH, British Columbia, Dec. 11, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FireSwarm Solutions Inc., a leader in autonomous drone technology for wildfire management, is proud to announce its selection as a funding recipient under the BC Centre for Innovation & Clean Energy (CICE) Wildfire Tech Call for Innovation. The $500,000 in non-dilutive funding will accelerate FireSwarm’s deployment of long-endurance, heavy-lift autonomous drone swarms to detect, map, and suppress wildfires with unmatched speed and precision.
With wildfires becoming more frequent and severe due to climate change, the need for innovative firefighting solutions has never been greater. In 2023, wildfire suppression costs reached $1.2 billion CAD in British Columbia and Alberta, and $4.5 billion CAD in the U.S. Traditional firefighting methods, reliant on manned aircraft and ground crews, struggle with accessibility, hazardous conditions, and slow response times, allowing fires to spread further and cause higher environmental, economic, and human tolls. Additionally, wildfires contribute massively to greenhouse gas emissions, worsening climate change. This pressing challenge calls for more rapid, precise, and effective wildfire management strategies to mitigate both the immediate and long-term impacts of uncontrolled burns.
FireSwarm’s autonomous drone swarms offer a groundbreaking solution. Equipped with a 350kg load capacity, the drones can autonomously detect hotspots, execute precise water drops, and deliver real-time data to optimize suppression efforts, even in remote or nighttime operations. Initial projections estimate a 30% reduction in burned area, potentially preventing up to 3,900 tons of CO2 emissions annually in high-risk regions.
"This project is vital for addressing the escalating threat of wildfires with innovative, effective solutions," said Alex Deslauriers, CEO of FireSwarm Solutions Inc. "By supporting FireSwarm and our partner, Data Blanket, CICE is enabling us to revolutionize wildfire and forest management through autonomous drone swarms that detect, map, and suppress fires with precision and speed. CICE’s support is accelerating the development and commercialization of this transformative technology, which will allow us to support the wildland fire industry to protect lives, communities, and ecosystems."
The CICE Wildfire Tech Call for Innovation was created to identify and support cutting-edge technologies that can mitigate the devastating impacts of wildfires. CICE is investing a total of $3.5 million in six of the 74 companies that applied for the 2024 Wildfire Tech Call for Innovation. FireSwarm was selected alongside other innovative companies working to reduce fire risk, improve response times, and protect vulnerable regions.
"Wildfires are becoming more frequent and destructive, threatening communities, ecosystems, and the economy," said Sarah Goodman, CEO of CICE. "The companies we selected, including FireSwarm, are developing cutting-edge solutions to reduce fire risk, improve response times, and protect vulnerable regions. Congratulations to FireSwarm and all other funding recipients of the Wildfire Tech Call for Innovation."
FireSwarm is currently actively seeking investors, strategic partners, and early adopters to scale innovative solutions. With CICE’s support, FireSwarm Solutions is poised to transform wildfire suppression, providing a scalable and efficient solution to one of the most pressing challenges of our time.
About FireSwarm Solutions Inc.
FireSwarm Solutions Inc. is a wildfire technology startup comprised of multidisciplinary experts, developing end-to-end comprehensive wildfire management solutions and services. By leveraging advanced autonomous ultra heavy-lift, long-endurance UAS and drone technology, along with the development of patent-pending AI and machine learning algorithms, the company is committed to enhancing the detection, assessment, and response to wildfires, ensuring the safety of people, property and the planet.
About CICE
The B.C. Centre for Innovation and Clean Energy (CICE) is an independent, not-for-profit corporation that provides early-stage, non-dilutive investment to fast-track the commercialization of British Columbia’s most impactful clean energy solutions – from Canada to the world. We match the urgency and efficiency of the companies we fund, driving innovation like the planet depends on it. Because it does. Together with our climate-first community of innovators, industry leaders, academia, government, and Indigenous partners, we advance future pathways to net-zero – leveraging British Columbia’s clean energy advantages to attract investment, create good jobs and build sustainable economic prosperity for decades to come. www.cice.ca
For media inquiries, please contact:
FireSwarm Solutions Inc
Melanie Bitner, Co-Founder & CMO, FireSwarm
https://www.fireswarmsolutions.com/
