Fire Safe Marin joined more than 600 wildfire experts, community leaders, and innovators at the 2025 Red Sky Summit in San Francisco on November 4. The annual event, which began in 2023, brings together fire service leadership, technology entrepreneurs, researchers, policymakers, and nonprofits. Their commonality is that they’re all working toward one goal: accelerating innovative technology solutions to reduce wildfire risk.
“By our participation in the Red Sky Summit, Marin gains access to emerging technologies, research, and partnerships that will shape how we prepare for wildfire in the years ahead,” said Bill Tyler, Executive Director of Fire Safe Marin. “Reducing fire risk requires more than local efforts, it takes collaboration across sectors.”
Founded in 2023, the Summit is hosted by Convective Capital, with support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and other philanthropic partners. In just three years, it has grown into a premier convening of experts at the front lines of wildfire adaptation and innovation. The 2025 Summit highlighted the importance of cross-sector collaboration to move promising wildfire innovations from idea to implementation.
Highlights of this year’s event
⇒ Michael Wara, Director of Policy at Stanford’s Doerr School of Sustainability, shared his annual “State of Wildfire in California,” a data-driven look at evolving fire trends and policy needs. For more information, read Stanford’s report titled California Wildfire 2025 Emerging Trends & Policy Insights.
⇒ U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and John Curtis highlighted their bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act, aimed at strengthening forest health and reducing catastrophic wildfire risk nationwide.
⇒ Scott Gregory, CAL FIRE Deputy Director of Technology, unveiled the new CAL FIRE Innovation Unit, designed to accelerate public-private partnerships and bring vetted technology directly into the hands of fire agencies.
⇒ Fire Chiefs Anthony C. Marrone (Los Angeles County Fire) and Brian Fennessy (Orange County Fire Authority) reflected on the Southern California Palisades and Eaton Fires, offering firsthand lessons on preparedness, communication, and response.
⇒ “Unconventional Conversations” were breakout sessions where small groups of experts and leaders problem-solved together on issues ranging from defensible space to data-driven response.
Living with Wildfire
As wildfire risks evolve, partnerships and gatherings like Red Sky Summit will help ensure that communities across California, including Marin, benefit from the latest research, technology, and proven practices that enhance wildfire resilience.
“What comes out of the Summit defines the next generation of wildfire resilience and influences the strategies and tools we bring home to Marin,” said Tyler. “Our involvement keeps Marin at the forefront of proactive wildfire safety, helping us learn to live with wildfire.”
