Electric utilities across North America are facing a growing crisis as wildfire seasons become longer, more destructive and increasingly unpredictable. In response, industry leaders are shifting their strategy from reacting to fires to preventing them.
A new webinar, From Data to Decision: Powering the Future of Wildfire Prevention for Utility Networks, will explore how this transformation is taking shape on April 28.
The upcoming session, hosted by FSJA, will bring together experts and utility professionals to examine how data is being harnessed to reduce wildfire risk and protect critical infrastructure.
At the heart of this shift is a move beyond simple data collection toward actionable intelligence, insights that can guide decisions across operations, risk management and long-term infrastructure planning.
Modern situational awareness platforms and predictive analytics are playing a central role. Utilities are now integrating a wide range of data sources, including localized climate patterns, real-time weather observations, vegetation health and encroachment monitoring, asset condition reports, historical outage trends and wildfire progression models.
These inputs are enabling a more comprehensive understanding of risk across utility networks.
Emerging technologies are also expanding the toolkit available to utilities. Artificial intelligence-powered smoke detection systems, for example, are helping identify potential ignitions earlier than ever before, giving operators valuable time to respond before incidents escalate.
The webinar will highlight how advances in vegetation intelligence, machine learning applied to localized climate extremes, and infrastructure risk scoring are allowing utilities to prioritise mitigation efforts more effectively.
By focusing resources where they are needed most, companies can strengthen resilience while improving public safety outcomes.
Among the featured speakers is Chris Waters, a retired Operational Division Chief from CAL FIRE with 25 years of experience in wildfire management. Waters, now Principal of Fireshed Forestry Solutions, brings deep expertise in fire behavior modeling, predictive analytics, and risk assessment, informed by his work on major incidents including the 2021 Dixie Fire.
Joining him is Chuck Parker, Vice President of Sales – Americas at Indji Systems, Inc., and Director of Business Development for the utility industry. With more than two decades of experience, Parker has contributed extensively to industry knowledge through expert papers and conference presentations focused on lightning science, natural hazards, and data-driven solutions for utilities.
As wildfire risk continues to redefine operational priorities, the webinar aims to provide attendees with practical insights into how leading utilities are leveraging data to move from awareness to action. The session underscores a broader industry trend: prevention, powered by intelligence, is becoming the new frontline in wildfire management.
Sign up for the webinar here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/666672836818352474
