Wildfire Technology Test Path Collaborative

Wildfire technology is advancing faster than our ability to evaluate it. New tools reach the market every month, but there is still no common way to measure whether they work, how safe they are, or how reliable they will be in the field. Agencies must make major decisions without independent test data, and procurement teams have no trusted source of verified technologies.

At the same time, the federal government has made this a priority. Executive Order 14308 directs federal agencies to develop a comprehensive wildfire technology roadmap, which requires shared standards, clear definitions, and credible test data.

The result is an innovation bottleneck. Developers are building promising tools, but without a clear path to validation or certification, agencies hesitate to buy them. Technology is moving quickly; adoption is not. 

More than 600 companies now market wildfire technologies, from detection cameras and satellite sensing to suppression drones and fire risk models, and many have entered the market since 2023. Yet no standardized pathway exists to independently verify how these tools perform or when they are ready for operational use. The Wildfire Technology Test Path (WTTP) Collaborative exists to close that gap with a trusted, science-driven pathway that helps good ideas scale and supports safer, more effective wildfire response.

"Innovation in wildfire technology is moving faster than ever, but adoption has stalled because there's no common yardstick for what works. By bringing together the nation's leading scientists, testers, and fire service leaders, we're closing that gap and helping proven technologies move from the test range to the front line."

—Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell

Principal Fire Safety Strategist 

UL Research Institutes| Fire Safety Research Institute

Sponsored by UL Research Institutes’ Fire Safety Research Institute, the WTTP Collaborative aims to deliver a nationally trusted ecosystem for testing, validating, and certifying wildfire technology, and to produce the first portfolio of validated and certified tools. That ecosystem will provide:

• Category-specific performance ratings and validation marks
• Publicly documented test protocols that work across technology categories
• Coverage of all 10 wildfire technology categories
• A registry of tested technologies that procurement officials can rely on
• A unified approach spanning software, hardware, sensing, suppression, and analytics
• Evaluation at the speed the wildfire threat demands

Together, these will guide technology developers, testing organizations, universities, policymakers, procurement officials, and fire response and mitigation agencies toward evidence-based technology adoption.

Technology categories in scope, include:

• Early Detection & Monitoring
• Aerial & Satellite Imaging
• UAS/Drones
• Fixed Camera Networks
• Decision Support & Analytics
• Fire Suppression Technologies
• Communication & Alert Systems
• Sensor Networks & IoT
• Predictive Modeling & Simulation
• Mapping & GIS Solutions

Wildfire Technology Test Path Collaborative Member Organizations

• Alliance for Wildfire Resilience
• CAL FIRE, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
• CAL FIRE, Wildfire Technology Research and Development
• FireWERX
• Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Initiative Strategy Detail 
• Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety
• Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory
• NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• NOAA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• National Park Services, Department of Interior, Office of Wildland Fire
• NFPA, National Fire Protection Association
• NIST, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Fire | NIST 
• Pew Trusts
• Plug and Play Tech Center
• SERDP & ESTCP, Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program and the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program
• Sourcewell
• Texas A&M University, HOME | TEEX.ORG  
• UL Research Institutes’ Fire Safety Research Institute
• UL Solutions
• UAFA, United Aerial Firefighters Association
• University of Alaska, FAA UAS Test Site Program – Alaska Center for UAS Integration
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology
• U.S. Forest Service
• U.S. National Science Foundation
• Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt Center for Sustainability, Energy and Climate | Vanderbilt University
• Western Fire Chiefs Association
• XPRIZE, XPRIZE Wildfire Competition Page | XPRIZE Foundation 

Testing organizations, testbed operators, certifying bodies, technology developers, and public agencies interested in contributing test capacity, data, or expertise are encouraged to contact the program lead, Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell.