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Wildfires don’t sleep, so why should our firefighting technology?
In this episode of The Capitalist Hippie Podcast, host Marco Pimentel sits down with Alex Deslauriers, co-founder of FireSwarm, to explore how a harrowing personal wildfire experience and a background in aerospace engineering sparked a bold new approach to fire suppression.
Traditional wildfire suppression relies on helicopters and water bombers that can’t fly after sunset – surrendering half the day to advancing flames. Fire Swarm is rewriting that playbook. Their autonomous drone swarms fight through the night, using Swedish-built heavy-lift drones capable of carrying 350kg payloads and proprietary AI software that allows one technician to command multiple aircraft at once.
“We saw this fire grow and grow. And during the nighttime hours, every work that was done during the day would essentially be undone,” Alex explains, describing the frustration that sparked his innovation. “There is no reason with flight automation, heavy lift drone technology, and all of the technology being deployed in Ukraine related to AI and object recognition… why we cannot harness the same technology to suppress fires.”
Their business model is just as innovative as the technology. FireSwarm operates as B2B2G: selling to established helicopter operators who already work with governments, while generating recurring revenue through software licensing and fleet management. Three drones can match the water delivery of a helicopter – at lower cost, with zero risk to pilots.
After completing successful autonomous pickup-and-drop tests in Sweden and securing Transport Canada approval, FireSwarm is gearing up for global operations – tackling Canada’s summer fire season before rotating to Australia or Chile during their peak months.
It’s a powerful example of purpose-driven innovation: turning a climate crisis into an opportunity for sustainable business that saves forests, communities, and lives.
Play Episode 84: FireSwarm, Alex Deslauriers