As wildfires rage through Los Angeles, devastating communities and threatening lives, I’m reminded of another fire that changed my life forever – the 2010 Carmel forest fire in Israel.
That disaster, which claimed 44 lives, including my father, Brigadier-General Lior Boker, taught us harsh lessons about the critical importance of innovative solutions in preventing and managing natural disasters.
My father, who served as head of operations for the Israel Police Northern District, died heroically while trying to save others trapped in the inferno. While his colleagues remember him as a respected officer and commander, to me and my two sisters, he was first and foremost our devoted father.
Despite his demanding role, he always made us feel that we were his top priority, remaining deeply involved in our lives and showering us with love and attention. His sacrifice, along with the loss of 43 others, sparked a mission that continues to this day: turning our personal tragedy into action through technology and innovation.
Together with my sister Nofar Boker, we created this initiative to honor his memory and express our profound gratitude for everything he taught us. We’ve transformed our loss into a catalyst for change, carrying forward his legacy of protecting and saving lives.
The scenes from Los Angeles echo what we witnessed in the Carmel – rapid fire spread, challenging terrain, and communities at risk. But they also remind us that in our interconnected world, we have unprecedented opportunities to collaborate and innovate across borders to save lives.
Fight fire with innovation
This is why we established the Lior Boker Innovation Events. Our flagship program is an annual hackathon, which is now in its fifth year at Haifa Innovation Labs at the University of Haifa’s Hub for entrepreneurship.
What began as a memorial has evolved into a comprehensive innovation platform addressing natural disasters, climate change, environmental challenges, and sustainability through various events and initiatives throughout the year.
Our strength lies in our unique ability to bridge sectors that rarely collaborate. We’ve built an unprecedented coalition of partners, including academic institutions, national security forces, emergency services, tech giants (e.g., Microsoft and Google), accelerators, and entrepreneurship centers.
This diverse network of dozens of partners creates a powerful ecosystem where academia, security forces, and industry collaborate to develop practical, life-saving solutions.
Our success stories include WaterDome, a revolutionary forest fire protection system developed by David Shavit at our first hackathon, which uses massive preemptive wetting to protect homes and surroundings before fires arrive.
As we watch neighborhoods in Los Angeles battle the encroaching flames, I can’t help but imagine how different the outcome might be if homes there were equipped with this technology.
WaterDome’s preemptive protection system could potentially save countless homes in fire-prone areas like LA’s residential neighborhoods, creating a crucial buffer zone between the advancing flames and people’s homes and treasured possessions.
Other promising projects from our recent fourth hackathon include EcoWatch, a comprehensive environmental hazard reporting platform, and Life-AI, an AI-powered WhatsApp bot providing real-time disaster information.
As I watch the Los Angeles fires unfold, I’m painfully reminded that these challenges are universal. Fire doesn’t recognize borders, and neither should our solutions.
We’re calling for global collaboration – whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, academic institution, or someone who simply wants to make a difference. The time for innovation is now, before the next disaster strikes.
From Israel to California, from Australia to Greece, we face common threats that require shared solutions. Our hackathon community stands ready to collaborate with partners worldwide, sharing knowledge and resources to develop life-saving technologies.
As we pray for the safety of those affected by the Los Angeles fires and for all communities facing similar threats, we must also act. The best way to honor those we’ve lost is to prevent future tragedies.
We invite you to join our mission – whether through partnership, investment, or spreading awareness about these vital initiatives. My father gave his life trying to save others. Today, we continue his legacy by harnessing technology and innovation to reduce the necessity of such sacrifices.
Together, we can build a safer, more resilient world. May we all know peaceful and safer days ahead, and may our combined efforts help protect communities worldwide from the devastating impact of natural disasters.
The writer is a User Experience Researcher and PhD candidate in human-computer interaction at the University of Haifa’s Information Systems Department. She can be reached at lior.boker.r.i.p@gmail.com