In an era where fires seem unstoppable, there are those who do not give up and look for new solutions. This is the case of Fire Dome, Israeli startups which has declared war on fire with an unprecedented weapon: a system that fires “smart” capsules to create a real anti-flame shield. An ambitious idea, born from Israel's experience in anti-missile defense. But will it work? Let's enter the FireDome laboratories to find out.
FireDome's Insight: Using Military Tactics to Fight Fires
The idea behind FireDome is to adapt military defense strategies, in particular the famous system Iron Dome, to fight forest fires. This is explained by Gadi Benjamin, co-founder and CEO of the company: “As in a war, to fight fires there are firefighters who act as infantry, airplanes that are the air force, but there was no support artillery. And that is exactly what we are developing”.
The idea was born while observing Iron Dome in action, the anti-missile system that is deployed to protect Israel. “I asked myself: what if we used a similar approach to defend ourselves from fire? Intercept the flames before they reach residential areas, like we do with enemy rockets,” says Benjamini. An intuition that gave rise to the development of FireDome.
A two-tier system to create an impregnable barrier
How does this fire shield work in detail? The FireDome, currently in testing, is composed of two key elements. The first It is a launcher of “smart” capsules, similar to bullets, which open in mid-air, releasing an eco-friendly retardant and creating a barrier that blocks the advance of the flames.
The second one defense level is entrusted to theartificial intelligence: a network of sensors and cameras detects hot spots and flying embers, which are promptly extinguished thanks to the targeted intervention of the system. “The goal is to protect a 360-degree area, like a dome, so that even if a few sparks pass the primary barrier, they are immediately neutralized,” explains the CEO.
FireDome, tests in Israel and the USA: the test of fire
FireDome plans to test its technological shield in Israel starting in May, in high-risk areas such as wooded regions or the hills around Jerusalem. But the real test will be the United States, where the startup aims to start testing in 2026, particularly in the areas of Los Angeles and San Francisco plagued by increasingly devastating fires.
California itself was the scene of raging fires last week that caused more than $150 billion in damage. “It’s too early to draw definitive conclusions, but our system could make a difference in cases like this,” Benjamini says.
We can handle strong winds and intermittent fires, two of the main problems in these situations. Creating protective barriers and fighting sparks could limit the damage a lot.
A Race Against Time to Save Lives and Forests
FireDome knows it has little time to demonstrate the effectiveness of its technological shield. With climate change, fires are becoming more frequent and destructive, causing enormous losses in terms of human life, biodiversity and economic damage.
That’s why the company is accelerating its development, thanks in part to $4,5 million in funding from climate-tech investors. “We can no longer afford to fight fires with just water and traditional means,” Benjamini concludes. “We need to use technology to defend our homes and our forests. With FireDome, we want to offer a new tool to tackle this crucial battle. A battle we can’t afford to lose.”
If the intuition proves to be a winning one, we could soon see a network of technological domes protecting our lands from the threat of fires. A hope that, faced with the terrible images of the Californian fires, we can only hope will soon become reality.