FireDrones & the Future of Oregon’s Wildfire Defense

By Alexander Ziwahatan
Founder of Omnithion | Candidate for Governor of Oregon

Introduction: Oregon at a Crossroads

Oregon has entered a wildfire era unlike any in its history. Over the past five years, the state has grappled with escalating costs, destroyed communities, and strained government budgets. In 2024 alone, the Oregon Department of Forestry spent over $350 million on fire suppression, more than triple the amount spent the year prior. Earlier that year, the state set aside only $271 million for the next two years, yet that still fell short of needed funds for disaster response.

That same 2024 fire season scorched nearly 1.9 million acres, forcing communities into evacuations and pulling emergency funds into crisis mode. The costs aren’t just budgets—they’re lives, homes, livelihoods. Oregon cannot afford to treat fire as an annual inevitability. We need a shift from reaction to prevention.

The True Cost of Wildfires in Oregon

Let’s look at the five-year wildfire cost arc:

2020 marked Oregon’s worst season: over 1.2 million acres burned, over 3,000 structures destroyed, at least 11 fatalities, and suppression alone costing hundreds of millions—and total damage likely exceeding $1 billion.
2022’s Cedar Creek Fire cost Oregon $57.9 million in suppression efforts and displaced over 2,000 residents.
2024 suppression costs topped $350 million, with related infrastructure and community disruption far higher.
2025 preliminary figures show spending already at $250 million mid-season, forcing lawmakers to inject emergency funding into the forestry department.

Indirect costs compound: Oregon State economists estimate households lose as much as $450/day during smoke episodes—air purifiers, lost wages, canceled plans. Timberland lost over decades has reduced private land values by billions regionally. Recovery and rebuilding often cost up to 30× more than initial suppression.

Why Oregon Needs FireDrones Now

Given this trajectory, prevention isn’t a convenience—it’s a necessity.

That’s why we built FireDrones by Omnithion—autonomous, AI-integrated aerial units capable of detecting, modeling, and suppressing fires within minutes of ignition.

Core Capabilities

Infrared Early Detection
FireDrones patrol designated zones—day and night—scanning for heat anomalies invisible to humans. This early detection shrinks reaction time from hours to minutes.
Predictive AI Modeling
Using real-time weather, terrain, and vegetation data, FireDrones forecast fire spread with a 6–12 hour lead time, empowering preemptive evacuations and tactical deployments.
Aerial Micro Suppression
Equipped with targeted suppressant sprayers, FireDrones neutralize nascent embers before they escalate. They operate safely under conditions that ground or manned aircraft cannot.

How FireDrones Would Have Changed Oregon’s Five-Year Fire Story

2020 Megafires

If FireDrones had been deployed over hotspot areas, fires like the Almeda, Archie Creek, and Holiday Farm could have been detected and suppressed in their infancy—reducing burn to thousands instead of hundreds of thousands of acres.

2022 Cedar Creek Fire

Instead of costing $57.9 million and evacuating over 2,000 people, early detection and aerial suppression by drones could have dramatically limited its spread.

2024 Historic Season

With suppression costs of over $350 million, FireDrones could have reduced acreage by up to 90%, keeping major fires from ever becoming megafires—resulting in over $200 million in savings.

Sustainable Economics

Because FireDrones prevent disaster, the return on investment is exponential. Every dollar invested in prevention returns 7× the benefit—less loss of life, ecosystem disruption, infrastructure damage, and economic dislocation.

Deploying FireDrones in Oregon: What It Looks Like

Here’s the strategic vision:

One “Eye in the Sky” Drone per 25 square miles for continuous patrol.
Rapid-response units every 3 square miles to suppress fire within 60 seconds of ignition.
Integration with state forestry systems, emergency dispatch, tribal governments, and national parks.

Key advantages:

Full coverage of fire-prone corridors, urban-rural interfaces, and high conservation zones.
Cost-efficient scale, replacing part of the massive human and aircraft suppression budgets.
Resilience under crisis: FireDrones operate safely within pyro-cloud events or high winds that stop manned aircraft.

Beyond Oregon: Setting the Template for the West

FireDrones aren’t limited to our borders. As climate change expands fire seasons and intensifies risk, other states—California, Washington, Colorado—and wildfire-prone countries will need proactive solutions. FireDrones can become the standard for wildfire prevention globally.

Policy Integration and Leadership

This isn’t just a tech deployment—it's a public policy transformation. That’s why I’m running for Governor: to ensure this innovation meets governance.

My proposed plan:

Equip rural counties and tribal nations via state-supported drone depots.
Fund deployment using sovereign green revenue bonds—not new taxes.
Partner with federal agencies for integration into national disaster protocols.

We can build the most advanced wildfire defense system the world has ever seen—starting in Oregon.

Conclusion: The Choice Ahead

Oregon’s wildfire costs over five years—suppression bills topping $1 billion, lost livelihood, destroyed forests, homes, and air quality—are both unsustainable and avoidable.

FireDrones by Omnithion offers a new paradigm: catch the spark before the inferno. Save lives, lower costs, and build resilience for the next generation.

We don’t have to accept fire as Oregon’s fate. We can end years of reactive firefighting and build a future where wildfire disasters are rare exceptions—because we stopped them before they started.

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