"Protecting An Entire Community at the Click of a Button"

The massive wildfires in California exposed the challenges of traditional firefighting methods in the face of an escalating threat. Some 16,000 homes caught fire within hours, entire communities were evacuated, and despite the efforts of firefighters – the damage was enormous. "The tragedy could have been reduced significantly," says David Shavit, founder and CEO of the Israeli company Water-Dome. "The world still relies on reactive firefighting methods, but we offer a solution that works differently: Preventing a fire from breaking out in a community before it becomes a disaster."

Shavit, an aeronautical engineer with 40 years of experience, developed an automatic system for the smart management of water resources that protects entire buildings and communities. "What sets us apart is the ability to protect an entire area with the click of a button," he explains, "just like Iron Dome protects our country's skies."
The system is based on massive proactive wetting – instead of waiting for the fire to approach, it pre-wets the area around buildings and its surroundings, so that the protected area will not ignite. "In most cases," Shavit explains, "houses burn not because flames reach them directly, but because of sparks carried by the wind. A small spark can fly for kilometers, land on a dry roof or dry vegetation and ignite a new fire. If the area is wet, the chance of such ignition drops significantly."
He further explains that traditional fire prevention methods, such as tree cutting and creating exposed firebreak strips, do not really prevent fire from spreading. "Cutting down trees," he adds, "leaves behind bare, drier ground, which may actually increase the rate of spread. Instead of destroying the vegetation, it's better to control its moisture – and this is exactly where Water-Dome comes in."

The Water-Dome system is already operational in four localities in Israel: Karmei Yosef, Sho'eva, Motza and Tzivon, providing an active layer of protection against the ignition and spread of fire. In a series of joint exercises with firefighting forces, according to Shavit, the system demonstrated excellent effectiveness in protecting buildings and infrastructure. "From the time the firefighting services received the call and started to wet the area, our system had already wet the entire area and made it resistant to the fire's ignition and spread."

How does the system deal with water supply limitations in a community?
"That is exactly our advantage – the system manages the water resource in a smart way. In Karmei Yosef, for example, we discovered that it is possible to reach a flow of 300 cubic meters per hour, ten times the regular consumption. Our algorithm knows how to allocate the water between different end points and time slots so that everyone receives sufficient protection."

Are there any data that illustrate the effectiveness of Water-Dome?
"The effect of our system in a small village is equivalent to the work of 70 fire engines – much more than a community would receive in an emergency. The system wets the area in cycles, and within 24 minutes achieves complete saturation of the vegetation. And all this happens automatically, without relying on human resources."
The recent fires in California exposed the weakness of systems dealing with fires in densely populated areas. Despite the investment of billions of dollars and equipping firefighting planes, the fires left behind casualties and skyrocketing economic damage. "In just one neighborhood in Los Angeles, over two thousand homes burned down," notes Shavit. "The cost of our system, which can protect an entire neighborhood, is lower than the price of a fire truck.
"I believe that Water-Dome could have changed the picture. Instead of waiting for the flames, the system creates an immunity that prevents ignition and reduces the probability that the fire will progress. In the recent fires in Los Angeles, about 80% of the homes burned because of sparks, not because of direct contact with the fire. If there had been a system like ours, it would have flooded the area immediately and significantly reduced the number of homes that burned. It is important to clarify that the system cannot prevent fires entirely, but it can certainly reduce the scale of the disaster and provide authorities with a longer response time, which can make the difference between minor damage and complete destruction."
"Fire engines and firefighting planes," says Shavit, "are limited in the amount of water, availability and ability to reach an area immediately. Water-Dome does not replace firefighters – it frees them to focus on saving lives while the system protects the buildings, and diverts the forces from defense to attacking the focal spots outside the community."

An Opportunity to Join the Investment
The global trend is clear: it seems that fires are becoming more frequent and dangerous, and traditional solutions cannot always provide an adequate response. In an article recently published in The New York Times, it was reported that the damage from the massive fires in California could reach an unimaginable amount of over $250 billion. In addition, a study was published in February that predicts property losses of approximately $1.5 trillion over the next 30 years in the United States as a result of climate change, and as a corollary – home insurance prices are soaring.
Shavit explains that Water-Dome is ready for immediate deployment in the United States because it is adapted to local water infrastructure and standards, without the need for complex adjustments. "In California, the insurance crisis is so severe that insurance companies refuse to cover homes in fire-prone areas, fearing huge losses. At the same time, regulators are seeking innovative solutions that will reduce the scope of future damage. Our system can pay back the investment within a year or two, just from the savings in insurance costs."

At what stage are you in terms of patents and approvals?
"We already have an approved patent in Israel and China, and we are in the process of approval in the United States, Europe,Canada and Australia. The big advantage is that in many cases it is possible to use the existing water infrastructure, which significantly reduces installation costs and shortens the implementation time."
Shavit explains that at this stage, the company is planning to raise external funding. "We were surprised by the quick success of making the product available, which enabled us to continue finacing development from sales. Now, in preparation for entering the U.S. market, including establishing a company there, we plan to raise external financing and are available to those who are interested."
Water-Dome is already working to expand deployment in Israel and is in contact with authorities and insurance bodies in California that are looking for solutions to reduce risk. "We aren't just offering technology – we are changing the way we deal with fires," he says. The next target is pilot projects in the United States. "Our vision," concludes Shavit, "is for the system to become a pre-requirement in areas prone to fires, as part of a new standard of proactive protection".

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In cooperation with Water-Dome