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Seattle startup Overland AI partners with CAL FIRE to use self-driving 4-wheelers for wildfire response

✇GeekWire
By: Taylor Soper
22 January 2026 at 15:40
Overland AI’s “ULTRA” self-driving vehicle delivers supplies as part of a test with CAL FIRE. (Overland Photo)

Overland AI, a Seattle-based startup that develops autonomous driving technology for rugged terrain, is expanding its reach beyond military applications.

The company this week revealed a partnership with The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), which is testing the use of Overland’s technology for wildfire response.

CAL FIRE used two of Overland’s self-driving 4-wheelers for resupply (food, water, battery delivery) and wildfire logistics missions at Camp Pendleton in Southern California. It’s the first time CAL FIRE has evaluated autonomous ground vehicle tech for its firefighting operations.

“When we started this company, we always saw our technology as being inherently dual-use — meaning that it could be used for both military and civilian applications,” said Stephanie Bonk, co-founder and president at Overland. “This is the first time we’re actually demonstrating that.”

Bonk said Overland’s technology “thrives” in a rugged environment where wildfires often occur.

Fire departments are testing various technologies to help manage wildfires, including AI-trained cameras that spot plumes of smoke.

Overland spun out of the University of Washington in 2022 and has inked various military-related partnerships, including a $18.6 million contract with the U.S. Army and Defense Innovation Unit. Overland also works with the U.S. Marine Corps and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), a unit of the Department of Defense.

Last year the startup announced a $32 million funding round and opened a 22,000 square-foot production facility in Seattle.

The company is led by Bonk and CEO Byron Boots, a robotics researcher who leads the UW’s Robot Learning Laboratory and is the Amazon Professor of Machine Learning at the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering.

Overland is ranked No. 14 on the GeekWire 200, our list of top privately held startups across the Pacific Northwest. Its investors include 8VC, Point72 Ventures, Overmatch Ventures, Shasta Ventures, Ascend, Osage University Partners, and Caprock. The company has 101 employees, up from 58 people a year ago, according to LinkedIn data.

The Hong Kong High-Rise Fire Shows How Difficult It Is to Evacuate in an Emergency

✇Homeland Security Newswire
By: Guest Writers
28 November 2025 at 06:48
11/28/25
EMERGENCY EVACUATIONS
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The Hong Kong high-rise fire, which spread across multiple buildings in a large residential complex, has killed dozens, with hundreds reported missing.

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Passions-to-Profit: Hitchfire

✇Barbecuebible.com
By: BarbecueBible.com
9 September 2025 at 06:00

Passions-to-Profit: Celebrating the Barbecuing Entrepreneur

As the traditional end of summer, Labor Day also serves to celebrate the American work force and their commitment to productive, inventive and important contributions to our society. In this spirit of honoring America’s hard-working heroes, we’d like to dedicate the entire month of September to applaud the entrepreneurs who’ve applied their talents to making your barbecuing adventures more engaging…and tasty!

Second-in-a-Series: Hitchfire; We Can Build a Better Mousetrap (or, in this case, a hitch-mounted grill)!

Years ago, there was a company that manufactured a hitch-mounted grill, and it was quite successful, until it just disappeared from the market around 2007-2008. After conducting some serious market analysis, we’d determined that, perhaps, the financial crisis and subsequent layoffs, had an outsized effect on the existing market for this product, but still felt that the concept was valid and ripe for further development.

Hitchfire

Working in stealth mode for about a year, Hitchfire started developing product in 2019, with hopes of launching in early 2020. Unfortunately, the pandemic began to unravel life as we knew it in early 2020, and, needless to say, everything became increasingly more complicated. Tradeshows where we had planned to launch Hitchfire, showcasing our new hitch-mounted grill, had to be scrapped and, eventually, we were forced into virtual launch mode in September 2020.

Patience Played an Outsized Role in Our Success

The pandemic presented a huge obstacle for launching a new company, but everyone was rewriting their playbook, so we had company in figuring out how to reach consumers and launch the Hitchfire brand. The bigger, secondary problem, was a huge spike in demand for outdoor goods, as everyone was turning toward outdoor recreation as a pandemic ‘coping’ strategy. Typically, that wouldn’t be considered an issue, but the demand for goods across the outdoor industry made freight costs skyrocket. As a young small cash constrained company, paying $20k or more for a container was unsustainable and potentially catastrophic. Luckly, we survived, but it took a lot of creativity and patience.

Hitchfire

A Unique Selling Proposition: ‘Redefining Life at the Hitch!’

Our entire product line is hitch-mounted, and, although our flagship product is a hitch-mounted grill that deploys in seconds and allows you to keep grease and unwanted smells out of your vehicle, we also offer other hitch-mounted products like kitchens, cook stations and storage solutions. We like to say that we are redefining life at the hitch!

Hitchfire

The primary feature of our products is a proprietary dual swing arm that allows our equipment to easily swing out to the passenger or driver side of the vehicle. The grill mounts to the top of this swing arm offering quick deployment and a convenient place to store your grill so you don’t have it sliding around your truck bed or inside, fouling up your vehicle. When you are ready to head to the big game or wild outdoors, you just turn it off and swing it shut. Tailgating has never been easier!

Our Favorite Recipe

Chimichurri Salmon with Curry Smashed Potatoes

Salmon with savory, curry-smashed potatoes, and a spicy mint chimichurri to cut through the richness of the salmon. A note from experience… make extra chimi as it’s always the first to go!

Chimichurri Salmon with Curry Smashed Potatoes

Get The Recipe »

Passions-to-Profit Series

Check out our 1000+ Recipes section here on Barbecue Bible.Com

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The post Passions-to-Profit: Hitchfire appeared first on Barbecuebible.com.

Open Fire Tri Tip

✇HowToBBBQRight
By: Malcom Reed
27 August 2025 at 11:25

Open Fire Tri Tip

I’m not trimming… I want to keep all the fat on this Tri Tip for flavor. Smother it in TX Brisket Rub (or classic salt & pepper), drop it straight over glowing coals on a Santa Maria grill—press it into the grate to carve a deep sear. Flip every few minutes. Then lift it to indirect heat until the probe reads 125–130°F. Twenty-minute rest, slice against the grain; simplicity and smoke rule.

WHAT MALCOM USED IN THIS RECIPE

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open fire tri tip

Open Fire Tri Tip

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Description

Cook tri-tip Santa Maria-style right over the coals for big flavor and a smoky crust. This open-fire tri-tip recipe keeps it simple—just bold seasoning, live fire, and a juicy medium-rare finish.

Ingredients

  • 1 whole Tri-Tip roast (untrimmed)
  • Killer Hogs TX Brisket Rub (or salt and coarse black pepper)

Instructions

  1. Don’t Trim a Thing
    Leave all the fat and sinew on that big, beautiful tri-tip. That’s how Mr. Al Frugoni—the king of live fire—does it, and we’re sticking to it.
  2. Season Heavy
    Hit it generously with TX Brisket Rub (or your favorite salt & pepper blend). Don’t be shy—we want a big crust.
  3. Build the Fire
    Start a fire using wood splits and lump charcoal. Once you’ve got a solid coal bed, rake the coals under your cooking grate and let it heat up.
  4. Sear Over High Heat
    Place the tri-tip directly over the hot coals and press it into the grate for good contact. Flip every 3–4 minutes to build a deep sear and bark on both sides.
  5. Finish Over Medium Heat
    Once seared, move it a bit higher above the coals or to indirect heat. Keep flipping every few minutes until the internal temp hits 125–130°F for medium-rare.
  6. Rest and Slice
    Let it rest for 20 minutes. Then slice it against the grain—split it down the middle crook first, since the grain runs different ways.

 

This tri-tip is all about cooking beef the old-school way—over a live fire. Season it heavy with salt and pepper, then drop it straight over hot coals on a Santa Maria grill to build that smoky crust. Flip it often, ease it up off the heat, and cook to a juicy medium-rare. Rest it, slice it thin against the grain, and you’ve got bold flavor, tender beef, and a recipe built for the backyard fire pit or grill.

Malcom Reed
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The post Open Fire Tri Tip appeared first on HowToBBBQRight.

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