MORGAN HILL, Calif.—Komodo Fire Systems, a startup company in Morgan Hill, has developed firefighting and fire prevention solutions aimed at combatting California’s wildfire problem.
Komodo Fire Systems, founded in 2019, developed a water-soluble and biodegradable spray to prevent fires from starting in the first place.
Jack Kimmich, Director of Operations at Komodo, described the process of how this retardant protects against fire.
“When fire comes to it, it releases micro suppressants—basically carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and a little bit of H2O, and so with that process, that stops fire from taking hold,” he told The Epoch Times.
Kimmich said an additional benefit is that it can suppress fire that is already burning.
“It uses so much less Komodo [to put out fire] than it would if you’re using just water,” he said.
As many Californians lose their fire insurance, Komodo is focusing on having insurance companies see the value in using Komodo so homeowners can have insurance again.
“So many people have lost their fire insurance. They can’t afford to rebuild,” said Kimmich. “We’ve had a couple people where they’ve applied Komodo, they showed their insurance company, and the insurance company says, okay, we’ll insure you. And so that’s what we’re working [on and] really putting a lot of effort in.”
Kimmich said Komodo’s purpose in stopping fires is to help people and save their homes.
“It’s about saving lives. It’s about saving structures. It’s about preventing people from having to go through hardships of losing their loved ones. Catastrophic fires are here. We’re not going to stop them overnight,” he said.
Komodo Fire Systems CEO Shawn Sahbari said his father’s house burned up in Sonoma County years ago, and one of his neighbors died because she wasn’t wearing her hearing aid to hear the alarms.
Sahbari has long been motivated by a desire to help the environment and stop the spread of fires.
“For me, we’re successful if we can put a dent in the environmental damage that these fires are causing,” Sahbari told The Epoch Times. “Our job is to help prevent gross and large-scale contamination.”
Sahbari believes the best way to reach the goal of fire prevention is through education.
“The news isn’t talking about it. The fire department isn’t talking about it. It’s not a fun topic, and it’s not well studied. They just kind of sweep it under the rug,” he said.
He said in the quest to solve the fire problem, he’s happy to work with competitors and promote their products as well as his own.
“We want awareness, and it’s not about ‘my product is better than my competitor’ or ‘I’m smarter than the guys who have previously done it.’ It has nothing to do with any of that,” said Sahbari.
He reiterated the importance of the environment and fire protection being at the forefront of his company’s focus.
“The environment is critical, because this is the legacy that we leave for our children and our grandchildren. And if we pollute the water table, if we pollute the soil, if we pollute the air, then we’re not doing a good job,” he said. “So Komodo’s mission is to really think about what’s happening to the environment.”
