My first month as a co-founder at FiSci
On saying yes, on being out of your depth after twenty years, and on how generous the firetech industry turned out to be.
Kevin Bonner
The spark of an idea
While I can’t claim the idea of FiSci as my own — it was Matt, with his background as a volunteer firefighter in the RFS, who conceived it — the mission and values of the company are something I wholeheartedly support. We recognise the urgent need to transform wildfire management and assist the men and women who risk their lives to protect us.
Matt and I had worked together at Hivery for nearly two years, finding our interactions both rewarding and a safe space for honest opinions. So when the opportunity arose to co-found FiSci, it felt perfectly natural.
Setting the foundation
From the outset our mission was clear: everything we develop must augment, not replace, the experience, knowledge and intuition of those who have spent decades combating the increasing frequency of wildfires. Those qualities cannot be replaced by AI. But we can make a significant impact by leveraging AI’s strengths — predictive fire spread modelling, optimal resource management, and prescriptive decision support like hazard reduction scheduling.
The early days have been fast-paced and challenging. My background as a project manager has been invaluable in keeping us focused, but I’m constantly stepping into new territory and feeling out of my depth, even after 20 years in my career. Need a CRM? Sure, let me set that up. Need to draft the company’s legal documents? I’ll reach out to my legal contacts and get started.
Navigating the firetech industry
Entering a new industry always brings a mix of excitement and uncertainty about how we’ll be received. Both Matt and I have been blown away by the generosity and support of everyone we’ve met in the firetech community. Whether imparting their knowledge, introducing us to peers, or simply liking our posts on LinkedIn, the sense of a shared mission has been a refreshing change from other industries I’ve worked in.
Developing our first products
Our initial idea was to launch FiSci Contain, designed to optimise heavy plant planning for efficient construction of containment lines. But a week into the project we realised our ambitions extended beyond managing active wildfires. We wanted to help mitigate risk before fires occurred.
That led to FiSci Mitigate, our hazard reduction planner, which uses prescribed burns and mechanical intervention to reduce the risk of devastating uncontrolled wildfires. The goal is to make a tangible difference in preventing wildfires, not just managing them when they happen.
Looking forward
Our immediate focus is refining our core products. We’re collaborating closely with wildfire management experts to make sure our tools provide the most effective support possible — plenty of testing, gathering feedback and iterating.
We’re also gearing up for meetings with potential partners and stakeholders, building relationships within the wildfire management community. On a personal level the learning curve continues to be steep: expanding my network, attending conferences (see you at AFAC 2024) and consuming research papers and industry updates to keep on top of developments.
The road ahead is filled with opportunities to grow, innovate and make a meaningful impact.
