Wildfires have long been a catastrophic force of nature, destroying homes, displacing communities, and costing economies hundreds of billions of dollars in damages. Recent fires in California, particularly the devastating Palisades Fire, have once again highlighted the urgent need for innovative solutions in wildfire prevention and suppression. Enter FireDome, an Israeli startup leveraging cutting-edge defense technology to create a first-of-its-kind wildfire suppression system.
In an exclusive interview with IsraelTech, FireDome Co-Founder and CEO Gadi Benjamini sat down with Yoel Israel to discuss the origins of FireDome, the challenges of wildfire mitigation, and how Israeli ingenuity is poised to make a global impact.
The Birth of FireDome: A Solution Rooted in Necessity
FireDome’s story began not in the forests of California but in Israel’s vibrant climate-tech ecosystem. After closing a company focused on methane mitigation, Benjamini found himself searching for his next venture. Attending a climate entrepreneurship conference, he encountered a U.S. investor who identified wildfires as a major unsolved crisis. The investor emphasized the lack of solutions that not only detected fires but also responded to them.
It was in this environment that Benjamini met Dr. Adina O. Pomerantz, an expert in material engineering and a future co-founder of FireDome. Together, they embarked on a rigorous research process, speaking to U.S. firefighters, business owners, and policymakers to understand the true needs of those battling wildfires firsthand.
Their breakthrough moment came when they realized the fire-fighting ecosystem lacked a crucial component: an “artillery” layer that could rapidly respond to fires before they spread out of control. Drawing inspiration from Israel’s renowned Iron Dome missile defense system, FireDome was born.
How FireDome Works
FireDome is a two-layer wildfire suppression system designed to protect high-risk assets like vineyards, resorts, and neighborhoods. The first layer is preventive, creating a fire break by deploying fire-retardant material in strategic locations. The second layer is reactive, utilizing AI-driven computer vision to detect spot fires and deploy targeted suppression capsules within seconds.
At the heart of the system is a stationary launcher, which can fire heavy-duty suppression capsules up to a quarter mile, covering approximately 100 acres per unit. The capsules can be deployed every five seconds, allowing for a rapid response to embers – small, burning debris that ignite new fires when carried by strong winds.
Given that embers are one of the leading causes of structure loss during wildfires, FireDome’s ability to detect and neutralize them in real time could significantly reduce property damage and save lives.
The LA Fires: A Real-World Use Case
When asked how FireDome could have impacted the recent Palisades Fire, Benjamini was clear: While no technology can prevent wildfires altogether, FireDome’s system could have mitigated the damage significantly. Had the system been in place, it could have:
- Suppressed spot fires before they spread to homes
- Provided firefighters with critical extra minutes to contain the fire
- Allowed communities to better protect themselves without needing to rely entirely on overwhelmed emergency services
With over 16,000 buildings destroyed, 28 casualties, and $250 billion in economic losses, the need for advanced fire mitigation tools has never been greater.
The Challenge of Scaling Wildfire Protection
Raising capital for a deep-tech startup is never easy, and doing so during wartime in Israel presented additional hurdles. “Foreign investors think twice before investing in Israel because of the situation,” Benjamini noted. Despite these challenges, FireDome successfully raised $3 million from five top-tier investors, including Gravity VC (Israel) and Third Sphere (U.S.), along with a $1.5 million grant from the Israel Innovation Authority.
A major component of FireDome’s go-to-market strategy is working with insurance companies, which could require properties in wildfire-prone areas to install FireDome as a prerequisite for coverage. Similar models already exist, such as premium services where homeowners can hire private firefighters at exorbitant rates. FireDome, by contrast, seeks to democratize fire protection, making it accessible to entire communities rather than a privileged few.
The Road Ahead
With an initial deployment planned for 2025 and full-scale implementation by 2026, FireDome is on a mission to redefine wildfire protection. The team, composed of ex-Israeli military engineers, climate-tech veterans, and U.S. fire safety consultants, is working tirelessly to bring this vision to life.
For Benjamini, entrepreneurship is about impact-leveraging his military and technology background to tackle real-world problems. “The army taught me to work hard, deliver results, and prioritize what truly matters,” he shared. “That mindset is what drives FireDome forward.”
From Tel Aviv to California, FireDome represents the best of Israeli innovation-combining defense expertise, cutting-edge AI, and a relentless pursuit of problem-solving to protect communities from the ever-growing threat of wildfires.
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