Flame Security International was honoured to participate in a delegation of senior Australian wildfire and emergency management experts at the Australian Consulate General in Los Angeles and Cal OES, bringing together emergency management leaders from Australia and California.
CEO and Cofounder Tony Overstead and Managing Director Justin Rooney joined the delegation to share knowledge and strengthen collaboration between the two regions. As part of the delegation, the team visited Eaton and Palisades fire sites to see firsthand the recent Wildfire impacts, recovery efforts and local mitigation strategies.
‘FSI was honoured to be invited to attend the Wildfire Business Roundtable hosted Australia’s Consul General in Los Angeles on 11 June 2025. The event underscores the strong bonds between the California state government, the Australian federal government and the firefighters of both California and Australia. Over the decades Californian and Australian firefighters have developed seamless operational integration enabling them to provide close and mutual support when the call goes out by either party. The event confirmed the appetite by all attendees for game changing innovation as a driver to combat the ever-increasing rise of wildfire as the fastest growing natural hazard to both Australia and California. Industry and university innovators were put on notice to work more closely with fire agencies to develop tested and proven solutions for fire agencies to field test. Innovators were urged to engage early on with fire agencies in the development of these solutions to ensure their operational relevance and potential effectiveness. In return fire agencies have dialled up their receptiveness to collaboration to support innovation which can only be achieved when all wildfire stakeholders work together.’
— Tony Overstead
This was a valuable opportunity to connect with other emergency experts from both countries and strengthen firefighting ties. A special thank you to Tanya Bennett, the National Emergency Management Agency and Cal OES for facilitating this important exchange.
