The Wildfire Technology Test Path (WTTP) Collaborative held its inaugural in-person strategy workshop on May 20–21, 2026 at the Pew Charitable Trusts in Washington, DC, with Day 2 activities at the NIST Robotics Laboratory.
The working session brought together more than 20 leaders from federal science agencies, the military, state government, nonprofits, insurance, and the innovation community. Over two days, the group focused on one urgent challenge: wildfire technologies are flooding the market, but there’s still no coordinated, science‑driven way to test them. The meeting laid the groundwork for changing that.
Participants spent the first day mapping current testing capabilities, identifying gaps, and agreeing on the technology categories that need immediate attention.
They also began shaping a shared vocabulary for innovation and certification — a critical step toward building a system everyone can use and trust.
The group adopted a simple Before–During–After framework to classify wildfire technologies across the fire timeline, making it easier to organize testing needs. They also agreed on eight fast‑track categories that will move into the first testing sprint:
- Sensors
- Cameras
- Satellite detection
- Suppression drones
- Pre-fire risk modeling
- Response risk modeling
- Unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs)
- Intelligence input data standards
A shared 24–30 month roadmap emerged, outlining how technologies will move from “validated” to “conditionally approved” to “certified.” The Collaborative also committed to building a three‑part catalogue of testing organizations, testbeds, and certifying bodies, a resource agencies can rely on when making procurement decisions.
Another major outcome was the agreement that procurement realities must be built into the process from the start. Federal funding distinctions matter, and end‑user demand data from FireWERX will help ensure testing priorities reflect what agencies actually need and use.
Finally, the group launched a monthly working session dedicated to defining innovation mechanisms and certification terminology. Establishing shared language is essential for keeping federal, state, and nonprofit partners aligned as the testing ecosystem takes shape.
For questions about this program, please contact: Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell