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Stop, Drop and Rollout Drone Inspections for Fire Mitigation

Hear about real-world examples of wildfire mitigation programs that Utilities are deploying to reduce risk of fires to keep the communities they serve safe. Learn about wildfire mitigation best practices from energy experts, Cyberhawk’s CEO, Chris Fleming and CCO, Matt Zafuto.

March 4, 2025 

11:00 AM ET / 10:00 AM CT / 8:00 AM PT / 4:00 PM GMT

Duration: 30 Minutes

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Summary

Wildfires in the US have become increasingly severe and frequent, as we are seeing in California now, driven by a combination of climate change, prolonged drought, and fueled loads, such as dry vegetation and the frequency, duration, and severity of high winds. Wildfires not only destroy ecosystems, homes, businesses, communities, and infrastructure, but also pose serious health risks due to smoke and particulate matter, contributing to long-term environmental and economic challenges.  

Mitigation strategies focus on reducing wildfire risks and improving preparedness. Prescribed burns and mechanical thinning help manage vegetation to limit fuel for fires. Community efforts, such as creating defensible spaces around homes and business structures and using fire-resistant building materials play critical roles as well. 

However, the risks are substantial with more than 700,00 transmission lines and over 6 million distribution lines in the US that must be maintained and serviced – making fire mitigation a top priority.  

At the policy level, investments in early detection of faults and risks to our energy infrastructure through inspection of critical power assets by drones and visual data management platforms are essential to mitigate wildfire risks and keep our communities safe.

Speakers

Chris Fleming CEO Cyberhawk
Chris Fleming
CEO
Cyberhawk

 

Chris has been the visionary of Cyberhawk since its inception in 2008. He is recognized as one of the pioneers in the Drone industry, having led many of Cyberhawk’s early 'worlds firsts' on projects around the globe. 

As an Inspection Engineer, Chris has worked extensively in Power Generation, Oil & Gas, Mining and Utilities around the world including Australia, The Middle East, UK, and the USA. 

Prior to the founding of Cyberhawk, Chris was responsible for the asset integrity of The Chevron Captain Platform and Floating Production Storage and Offloading in the North Sea, and planning and executing inspection strategies to extend the life of these assets. He now lives in the US after moving here with his family from Edinburgh, Scotland in 2021. In 2020, during COVID, Chris led his team in California conducting wildfire mitigation inspections for the season. Since then, the company has conducted over 500,000 inspections.

Matt Zafuto CCO Cyberhawk
Matt Zafuto
CCO
Cyberhawk

 

Matt Zafuto has been a leader and catalyst for improving T&D grid operations and catalyst for corporate and industry change for the past 28 years. During this time, he has focused on driving business process changes with technology innovations in energy utility operations to address reliability and workforce efficiency.  

Matt’s career highlights include establishing and executing strategy at the corporate level, aligning line of business objectives to the corporate strategy and tactical execution of strategic objectives at Fortune 500 companies such as IBM, ABB, and Xcel Energy and most recently as Chief Commercial Officer for Cyberhawk, Inc.  

In 2013, Matt was appointed vice chairman of the Board of Directors for the Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster (RTCC), and he has also served on the CleanTX Economic Development Board of Directors. Both organizations bring together industry, government, and academia leaders to accelerate economic and technological growth in smart grid, smart water, advanced transportation, alternative energy, and energy efficiency. 

Matt holds a BS in Business Administration with a major in Management Information Systems from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

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