SMFD Deputy Fire Marshal Represents District at Conservation X Labs Fire Grand Challenge

January 28, 2026 – Deputy Fire Marshal Marshall Nau recently represented Southern Marin Fire District and the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority (MWPA) at the Conservation X Labs Fire Grand Challenge Solutions Summit in Oakland, serving as a community partner for the innovative KaiGeoCon project focused on the Greater Mill Valley Fuel Break.

The Fire Grand Challenge brought together technical innovators and place-based communities from across Western North America to develop cutting-edge solutions for wildfire resilience. Team KaiGeoCon—a collaboration between technical partners SIG-NAL, Watershed Progressive, and Cabin31, alongside community partners including MWPA, SMFD, and Girl Scouts Camp Arnaz—reached finalist status among 12 teams selected from over 90 technical applications worldwide.

The KaiGeoCon project developed a geospatial conservation technology workflow designed to strengthen work crews, enhance local community participation, and improve feedback mechanisms in landscape wildfire resilience projects. This innovative approach directly supported the implementation of the Greater Mill Valley Fuel Break, combining technological expertise with deep local knowledge and on-the-ground experience.

As part of the finalist team, Deputy Fire Marshal Nau contributed SMFD's practical fire prevention expertise and helped bridge the connection between advanced geospatial technology and real-world fire district operations. Each finalist team received $50,000 in support for field-testing and project acceleration throughout 2025.

While Team KaiGeoCon did not win the grand prize at the January 27th Solutions Summit, their finalist achievement has positioned the Greater Mill Valley Fuel Break project on the map for future collaboration opportunities in the growing Fire Tech space. The Challenge was supported by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, The Coca-Cola Foundation, Esri, and Planet Labs.

For more information about the Greater Mill Valley Fuel Break project and SMFD's ongoing wildfire mitigation efforts, visit: https://www.marinwildfire.org/project/greater-mill-valley-fuel-break-project

Deputy Fire Marshal Nau continues to represent SMFD and MWPA in collaborative efforts to advance wildfire prevention and community resilience throughout Marin County.

Photo: Marshall Nau SMFD, Todd Bryan Cabin31, Marc Mayes Sig-Nal , Summer Helmuth Girl Scouts of the Central Coast, Tammie Helmuth Girl Scouts of the Central Coast