Burning Changes in Extinguishing Fires |
Instead of reacting to massive wildfires, a new system developed by the Israeli company FireDome, a beneficiary of support from the Israel Innovation Authority’s Startup Fund, aims to stop fires while they are still small. FireDome’s revolutionary technology transforms the idea of real-time wildfire interception into reality.
As climate change erases the distinction between specific fire seasons, increases the frequency of extreme events, and exacerbates economic and environmental damage, the global toll continues to rise. The United States, Canada, Australia, and many countries in southern Europe have all experienced record-breaking wildfires in recent years. Israel, too, is facing a growing number of large-scale fires that devastate open areas and threaten communities, causing global losses estimated at hundreds of billions of dollars every year.
Solutions range from early detection systems, sensors, drones, and satellites to data analysis systems, but these often come too late to contain the fires. Firefighters still arrive at the scene with roughly the same tools they have used for a century: hoses, foam tanks, and firefighting aircraft. The gap between the speed at which the fire spreads and the speed of human response remains enormous, and the damage is catastrophic.
That’s where FireDome enters the picture. The Israeli Fire Tech startup’s innovative technology is attempting to change the equation by not just detecting fires but intercepting them and redefining how we respond to one of the most serious threats of the modern climate era.
Founded in June 2024 by Gadi Benjamini, a former senior officer in Israel’s Intelligence Corps, and Dr. Adi Naor Pomerantz, a materials engineer with extensive experience in R&D leadership, FireDome was born from a chance meeting at a climate innovation conference. Both founders were searching for an initiative with environmental impact and identified the same technological gap at the specific stage of response to the fire.
“During the company’s early days, we spoke with more than a hundred stakeholders, such as firefighters, insurers, local authorities, and property owners,” recalls Benjamini, FireDome’s co-founder and CEO. “We realized that the main challenge is that civilians lack the practical tools needed to protect themselves. Everyone is doing their best, but it is simply not enough.”
FireDome is developing an innovative interception system that combines AI, sensors, and a precision capsule deployment system that uses eco-friendly materials. The system aims to halt the spread of wildfires before they reach........