Emergency services veteran Travis Abbey joins the show to discuss his mission of building wildfire resilience from the ground up in rural and Indigenous communities. With over 35 years of experience in initial attack and incident management, Travis explains why the "Magnificent Seven" model of community-led defense is becoming a necessity as government resources are increasingly overwhelmed. He also opens up about the evolving fire landscape, the transition from seasonal to year-round fire careers, and the personal mental health challenges of a lifetime spent on the front lines.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• The Rural Gap: Why communities far from regional centers are often "triaged" out of government resources during major lightning storms.

• Direct Fire Smart: Moving beyond education to physically changing home exteriors and removing vegetation in high-risk Indigenous communities.

• Initial Attack Sovereignty: The process of building a "Type 5" fire crew within an Indigenous-owned natural resource corporation.

• The 30-Year Fire Evolution: How the fire season has shifted from remote landscape fires to constant interface threats and year-round risk.

• Mental Health & "Re-entry": Travis's personal story of his 2019 breakdown and the need for better mental health support as first responders transition back to civilian life.

• The Stay or Go Debate: The complex reality of homeowners staying to defend uninsured properties and how governments are starting to partner with these "local responders."

• Structure Protection Trailers: How a single trailer can provide the pumps, hoses, and sprinklers needed to protect 30 homes.

Ladris founder and CEO Leo Zlimen explains how his company is using hyper-advanced simulation software to solve the most complex variable in any disaster: human movement. By modeling billions of scenarios in real-time, Ladris gives emergency managers and citizens the one resource they need most—time. Leo discusses the move toward "zero-click" simulations, the psychology of leaving early, and why transparency is the key to passing critical public safety tax measures.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• The Mission of Ladris: Striving for a future where zero lives are lost during natural disasters through better pre-planning.

• Time as a Resource: Understanding the "maximum distance" problem—how far can you actually get in 30 minutes during a crisis?

• The Power of Simulation: How running billions of "what-if" scenarios helps first responders make tactical decisions before the first spark.

• The "Zero-Click" Future: Moving from static emergency plans to real-time models that detect fire and immediately provide the plan with the highest probability of success.

• B2G Realities: The nuances of working with government agencies and building the "translation layer" between tech and the fire service.

• Transparency for the Public: Using visual models to show residents exactly how a fire would impact their specific neighborhood to encourage earlier evacuations.

Former "evil insurance executive" turned founder Andrew Engler explains how his new venture, RockRose Risk, is using an $80 billion problem to create a massive opportunity for homeowners and businesses. He breaks down why the traditional insurance market is failing, how 1000% premium increases are actually a signal for systemic change, and how RockRose is providing massive discounts to those willing to harden their properties and manage local fuels.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• The 35% Discount: How RockRose works with 16+ global carriers to give money back to clients who perform verified mitigation.

• The Insurance Rabbit Hole: A look into the complex world of reinsurance, retrocessionaires, and why local rates are often dictated by global models.

• Infrastructure vs. Climate: Why Andrew believes wildfire is primarily a failure of infrastructure management, not just a weather problem.

• The "Tylenol Murder" Fallacy: A critical look at "security theater" in disaster prevention versus addressing core vulnerabilities.

• Pro-Entropic Business: Why the next generation of successful companies will be those that become more valuable as environmental volatility increases.

• The Fire Quadrangle: Steve and Andrew discuss the physics of suppression—from removing fuel to breaking the chemical reaction.

• Privatizing Results: A controversial look at shifting from a "time and materials" firefighting model to a "performance-based" model like SpaceX or FedEx.