Two graduates from Colorado’s Summit High School who grew up watching wildfires threaten their mountain hometowns are now leading the charge to help homeowners protect their properties, even when they are miles away. Their company, Defense Delivered, builds fully autonomous wildfire sprinkler systems that can detect heat from approaching flames and sparks and automatically hose down a home in targeted areas to ideally prevent it from burning.
Founder and CEO Duston Dolamore says the idea came after the 2021 Ptarmigan Fire came uncomfortably close to his family’s home in Silverthorne. “When we experienced that fire, the feeling of helplessness, that really nothing could be done, it drove us to make a working solution,” Dolamore said. “We’ve essentially returned to the community we were raised in to try and give back to it. ” The system uses thermal cameras to sense heat and activate sprinklers only where needed, spraying about 35 gallons of water per minute per zone. That efficiency is key, according to Division Chief Mathew Benedict with Red, White & Blue Fire Protection District.