We Trained Like Wildland Firefighters – Here’s What We Learned

In November of 2025, four OroraTech team members stepped far outside their daily routines and into fire boots.

As part of our ongoing effort to build a Wildfire Solution that truly serves the frontlines as best as possible, two of our product managers, one UX designer, and one customer success specialist joined a week-long, immersive wildfire training in Portugal. Hosted by the European Wildfire Academy, the course was designed to expose participants to the real conditions, decisions, and pressures that firefighters face in the field during a wildfire response.

Learnings on the Line

The course offered by the academy is nothing to shake a stick at. Over the course of a week, the team spent time in both the classroom and field, learning theory and practical firefighting strategy. The trainers walked the entire team through the science of fire, its spread, its causes and effects, and how weather factors into the entire operation. The learning was extensive. 

Hear from the Team

The context our employees learned was amazing - to literally step into the boots of a firefighter, they were able to learn so much about the day-to-day of wildfire operations. Each team member had  several takeaways from the entire event: 

Alexandra Tsyganok

"The International Fundamentals of Wildland Firefighting course at the European Wildfire Academy was a professional highlight of 2025 and one of the most valuable experiences of my career. As a Product Manager at OroraTech, the hands-on exposure to real wildfire operations provided critical insight into the challenges, decisions, and pressures faced on the ground, enabling a deeper understanding of how to build products that genuinely support firefighting and wildfire intelligence.

I learned how wildfire behavior evolves under different weather and terrain conditions, how tactical decisions are made under time pressure, and which information is truly actionable for firefighters during operations. I am deeply grateful to the European Wildfire Academy for the outstanding training and to OroraTech for enabling real-world learning that directly strengthens our products and impact."

Lachlan Philipson

"I found it such a fun and unique experience. Normally, my work involves a lot of time at the computer and in meetings, so getting outside and learning to use hand tools and firefighting equipment was awesome! 

It really helped connect my work at OroraTech to the real world, making it much easier to picture the daily job of our users and speak more of their language. Learning what information matters most gave me lots of ideas for improving our Wildfire Solution by providing the right information at the right time. 

The experience also deepened my appreciation for the hard and important work wildland firefighters do to protect our communities. I'm very grateful to @fire and the Penlea Fire Department for being so welcoming and giving us the opportunity to participate in such a well-organised course."

Marta Calsina

"It gave me a whole new perspective on what it means to build workflows and content that truly support operational decision-making. It helps me bridge the empathy gap so I don’t just write about field users but have been one, deepening my understanding of fire behavior and suppression beyond theory - intensity, terrain, response time, and tool use - while learning which language and visuals actually land with operational teams.

Watching how real crews make decisions and use our data on the ground showed me what actually matters in the field, and how to reflect that in Wildfire Solution training and support."

Max Bereczky

It showed us how hard the work on the ground actually is, both mentally and physically, and proved that every second matters when fighting wildfires, meaning technology must integrate effortlessly into the toolbox already used in wildland firefighting to be effective in emergency situations, with information that is easy to access and understand, so no time is wasted.

It also deepened my respect for the dedication of professional and voluntary firefighters protecting their communities, impressed me with the professional planning and execution of the training by the European Wildfire Academy and the Bombeiros Voluntários de Penela, and reinforced how important it is as a product manager to go out and truly understand the daily work of our users."

Molding Wildfire Solution

The experience in Portugal was unlike anything we had experienced as a team. Living and experiencing firsthand how firefighters assess risk, make decisions under pressure, and move between tools and information sources has sharpened our focus on clarity, timing, and relevance in wildfire operations. From how fire lines are displayed to how workflows, visuals, and supporting content are designed, these learnings are helping us ensure that Wildfire Solution fits seamlessly into real-world firefighting operations. This will support faster understanding, better decisions, and safer outcomes when every second counts.

 We are deeply grateful to the European Wildfire Academy and the Bombeiros Voluntários de Penela for their professionalism, generosity, and commitment to sharing real operational knowledge, and for welcoming our team so openly into their world. Experiences like this remind us why building wildfire intelligence is not just a technical challenge, but a human one - grounded in trust, empathy, and respect for those on the frontlines. As wildfire risk continues to grow globally, we remain committed to learning from the field, standing alongside firefighters, and building technology that truly earns a place in their hands.