Story in Inc. by Kevin J. Ryan. Silicon Valley is joining the fight against wildfires. But saving lives will require cutting through red tape, fast. The story is about how hard it is to launch start-ups in this space.

Excerpt: Squishy Robotics, led by UC Berkeley mechanical engineering professor Alice Agogino, manufactures a robotic ball that can be dropped into a blaze to take critical temperature and wind readings that can assist first responders. The company has earned contracts [actually we have pilots] with small fire departments on the East Coast, but none in wildfire-prone areas.