During the 2025 Vision Summit, the Catching Wildfire podcast hosted the leaders representing the FirstNet public/private partnership. Chief Kim Zagaris had the opportunity to sit down with Scott Agnew, President of FirstNet, Built with AT&T, and Jeff Bratcher, Deputy Executive Director, Office of Operations and Chief Technology Officer with the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority).

This special edition podcast focuses on the origins of the FirstNet technical vision, the interactions and expectations between FirstNet, Built with AT&T and the FirstNet Authority to manage responses to wildfires, how the sustainable FirstNet reinvestment model ensures service and expansion of the network, and future forward actions benefitting public safety.

To learn more about FirstNet, Built with AT&T, please visit www.firstnet.com

To learn more about the FirstNet Authority, please visit www.firstnet.gov

#firstnet #wildfire #psbta #FNA #publicsafety

Welcome back to our podcast!

On this episode, our hosts, Chief Jeff Johnson and Chief Kim Zagaris, are joined by Chief David Winnacker to discuss the art of strategically staging resources and tools to effectively combat wildfires. Chief Winnacker shares the challenges and successes of his efforts to create a common operating picture for fire response. Chief Winnacker also speaks to the importance of developing and mentoring the next generation of talent in the fire service.

Chief Dave Winnacker is a retired fire chief who served in the fire service for 21 years, including his tenure as chief of the Moraga-Orinda Fire District from 2017 to 2024. He has a background in the Marine Corps, where he served as an infantry officer and later as the Commanding Officer of the 4th Force Reconnaissance Company. Currently, he is a Hoover Institution Veteran Fellow at Stanford University, focusing on wildfire risk and property insurance. He has also been involved in developing strategic wildfire risk reduction plans and has co-founded companies like ZoneHaven and XyloPlan Risk.

You can also stream our podcast on all major platforms. Learn more about the PSBTA and Catching Wildfire at www.thepsbta.org

#publicsafety #fire #emergencyresponse #wildfire #psbta

Welcome back to Catching Wildfire! On this episode, Chief Jeff Johnson and Chief Kim Zagaris speak with David Blankinship, President of Emergent. David shares how his background has contributed to the technical evolutions and innovations at Emergent. During the episode, they delve into how Emergent's fire apparatus hotspots and architectural design are making a difference in the fire industry.

About David Blankinship:

David has over 25 years of experience in Public Safety. He started in the Colorado Springs Fire Department and served as the Senior GIS Analyst applying technology to all-hazard risk analysis, tactical fireground support for major incidents and multiple national deployments. He has co-founded multiple Public Safety startups, including Intterra, an analytics and geospatial situational awareness company that produces software for public safety supporting municipal operations, wildland firefighting, performance analysis and pre-planning.

In 2020, he began serving as an Executive on Loan to the Western Fire Chiefs Association (WFCA) as the Senior Technology Advisor. In this role, he develops new technology use cases, problem solving for solutions at scale. He curates a portfolio of technology companies, and employs a standardized technology evaluation methodology to assist Public Safety Organizations effectively understand which technologies are best for them.

In 2021, after a successful exit from Intterra, he became the President of Emergent. This focuses on building a new generation in-field applications to firefighters, reducing cognitive demand for the front line of first responders during pressure-filled situations and a radical new paradigm for Public Safety interoperability.

In addition to being the President of Emergent and the Senior Technology Advisor to the Western Chiefs, he serves on both the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) Technology Council and the WFCA Technology Committee. He is actively involved in local, state, and national initiatives addressing public safety technology, communications, policy, and risk initiatives.

For more information about Catching Wildfire, visit: https://thepsbta.org/catching-wildfire/

To learn more about Emergent, please visit: https://www.emergent.tech/

#publicsafety #wildfire #emergent #catchingwildfire #psbta #firstnet