Pano AI launches Drone Partner Program to connect wildfire detection, real time operating picture, and aerial response. A new program that connects drones and autonomous aircraft to Pano's platform - launching with Seneca, Rain, BRINC, and Censys Technologies - so a verified detection can move straight to the drones and aircraft that respond SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Pano AI, the leader in AI-powered wildfire detection, today launched its Drone Partner Program at the Red Sky Summit, connecting drone and autonomous aircraft systems to Pano's Rapid Detection platform so a verified wildfire detection can coordinate the effective dispatch of aerial response to both suppression and increase situational awareness. The program launches with four inaugural partners - Seneca, Rain, BRINC, and Censys Technologies, spanning autonomous suppression and public-safety drone operations. Pano's role in enabling wildfire response continues to accelerate; the platform now protects more than 95 million acres across U.S. 18 states. The Drone Partner Program is the next step: a way for the growing field of drones and autonomous aircraft to connect into Pano, so a detection can move straight to the aircraft and crews that respond, instead of stalling between separate tools. The goal is to accelerate fire suppression innovation and help bring the best solutions forward. This is a significant leap forward in both wildfire suppression and advanced situational awareness. The program builds on Pano's expanding footprint in the field. In 2025, Pano alerted on 735 vegetation fires and was the first known alert approximately 60% of the time, drawing on a training database of over 6 billion images and seven patents spanning panoramic imaging, geolocation, and map-based visualization. Pano's Incident API, already in use across its utility deployments, gives partners a standard way to integrate without requiring additional custom engineering on either side. Here's how it works: * Pano provides early detection and triangulates the incident's location * Then, in coordination with the customer, Pano automatically alerts the drone provider passing along the wildfire alert, including triangulated coordinates * The drone provider deploys their technology as appropriate in coordination with emergency responders "Detecting a fire early has always been the first step in an important chain of suppression and response," said Sonia Kastner, co-founder and CEO of Pano AI. "Our goal is to provide not only a fast accurate alert, but to also facilitate a technology ecosystem responders can build upon, so that the moment a fire is spotted the right resources can see it, reach it, and act on it together." Drone Partner Program Launch Partners: * Seneca builds autonomous, AI-powered aircraft that detect and suppress wildfires within 10 minutes of ignition. Together, Seneca and Pano are giving the Aspen Fire Protection District another set of eyes in the mountains and a faster path from detection to suppression. When Pano detects a new ignition and pinpoints its location, it alerts Seneca's autonomous aircraft to attack the fire from the air within minutes, helping crews contain small fires before they become major incidents. * Rain's AI firefighting pilot upgrades existing aircraft with autonomous wildfire suppression capabilities, enabling rapid aerial containment during the earliest stages of ignition. * BRINC builds public-safety drones and Drone as First Responder (DFR) solutions, used by more than 1,000 first-responder agencies across North America. * Censys Technologies provides Over the Horizon Beyond Visual Line of Sight (OTH BVLOS) drone, specifically empowering utilities with autonomous power line drone inspection systems. "The window to stop a small ignition before it becomes a major incident can disappear in minutes. The West needs infrastructure built for this current reality. By connecting Pano's early detection directly to Seneca's aerial suppression, we can see a fire start, act immediately and get suppression in the air while crews are still making their way in. Every minute we can take out of that response gives firefighters a better chance to protect lives, homes and communities." Stuart Landesberg, Founder and CEO, Seneca "Most wildfires don't begin with a 911 call. That's the critical gap our partnership with Pano helps close. When a Pano camera detects smoke, a BRINC drone already stationed in the community can deploy directly to the coordinates, assess the situation, and stream live video to incident command. Fire chiefs can then make faster, more informed decisions about deploying resources, based on what they can see rather than what they have to assume." - David Benowitz, VP of Strategy, BRINC "Early detection creates a window to act while a fire is still small. By connecting Pano's fire alerts with Rain's wildfire mission autonomy, we're working to help fire agencies get aircraft to the right place quickly and deliver a meaningful suppression response. That connection between early intelligence and rapid aerial response is what could change outcomes." - Maxwell Brodie, CEO, Rain "Wildfire mitigation requires more than any single technology. At Censys Technologies, we're focused on mitigating risks earlier and more accurately through scalable aerial inspections. By working with innovative partners like Pano AI, we create a generational opportunity to deliver a common operating picture for asset intelligence - proactive monitoring and rapid response for wildfires; this delivers a comprehensive approach to protecting communities and critical infrastructure." - Trevor Perrott, CEO & Co-Founder, Censys Technologies Program capabilities and availability are subject to commercial partnerships and commercial engagement. About Pano AI Pano AI is the leader in AI-powered wildfire detection. Launched in 2020, the company provides advanced early detection and situational awareness solutions to fire agencies, utilities, governments, and private landholders to help protect people, property, and infrastructure from catastrophic wildfires. With deployments across the U.S., Canada, and Australia, Pano AI is building a new standard for real-time wildfire intelligence. To learn more, visit www.pano.ai or follow the company on LinkedIn. About Rain Rain, a leader in aerial wildfire containment technology, is helping fire agencies more rapidly suppress wildfires during the earliest stages of ignition, before they grow out of control. Rain adapts autonomous aircraft with wildfire intelligence to rapidly perceive, understand, and suppress wildfires, which enables numerous aircraft to be prepositioned in remote locations resulting in accelerated response time. Developed in tandem with fire professionals, Rain is a privately held company headquartered in Alameda, California. Visit www.rain.aero for more information. About Seneca Seneca builds advanced firefighting technology for situations that were previously unsafe, inefficient, or impossible. Based in Sausalito, California, the company develops autonomous heavy-lift drone systems that carry suppressant to the fire line, follow terrain for mapping and vegetation management, and inspect structures and utility infrastructure, with one pilot operating multiple aircraft. Seneca's systems are designed, built, and sourced in America, and serve fire agencies, utilities, and property owners. The company's mission is to protect 500 million acres in the U.S. and allied nations by 2035. About BRINC BRINC is an American developer of technology in the service of public safety. The company builds a connected ecosystem of tools designed to save lives. BRINC manufactures its products in the US, has co-located R&D and production, and is vertically integrated, controlling the entirety of its supply chain. Over 1,000 public safety agencies and 20%+ of the SWAT teams in the US use its products to de-escalate dangerous situations and safeguard human life. The company is backed by top investors, including Sam Altman, Index Ventures, Motorola Solutions, Dylan Field, Elad Gil, Patrick Shanahan, Julius Genachowski, Shyam Sankar, Alexandr Wang, Bradley Tusk, and Jeff Weiner. For more information visit brincdrones.com. About Censys Technologies Censys Technologies delivers the complete BVLOS ecosystem of drone, dock & software solutions that transform aerial data into intelligent asset insight. Manufactured in the United States, Censys systems enable persistent, autonomous operations that empower organizations to see, understand & respond faster. From infrastructure resilience to emergency response, Censys is shaping the future. Visit CensysTech.com for more information.

The San Bernardino County Fire Protection District (SBCoFD) has signed a contract with Seneca, a resilience technology and infrastructure company, to deploy five AI-powered autonomous firefighting drones. It will be the first fire agency in California to train with and use Seneca's system. The package includes a towable Mobile Air Operations Base and Seneca's autonomy software. One pilot can fly all five aircraft, which carry more than 500 gallons of foam, reach a new fire in 5–10 minutes or less, and can operate at night. "Our goal is to stop 90% of fires before they grow larger than 10 square feet," said fire chief Dan Munsey. Training is expected in the first and second quarters of 2027, with the system in use before that year's peak fire season.

San Bernardino County Fire is California's first fire agency to acquire Seneca firefighting drones. 28 October 2026 The San Bernardino County Fire Protection District (SBCoFD) today announced a contract with Seneca, a resilience technology and infrastructure company, to deploy a Seneca Strike Team of five AI-powered autonomous suppression aircraft. SBCoFD will be the first fire department in California to train with and deploy Seneca's system. The Strike Team includes five autonomous suppression aircraft, a towable Mobile Air Operations Base, and full access to Seneca's autonomy software. Because the aircraft navigate and coordinate using onboard AI, a single SBCoFD pilot can operate the multiple Seneca aircraft in difficult terrain, allowing SBCoFD to reach dangerous hard-to-reach places even more quickly. The agreement builds on more than a decade of technology leadership at SBCoFD, which operates a dedicated Robotics and Unmanned Aerial Systems division. The Seneca Strike Team adds a new autonomous suppression capability alongside that existing fleet. Serving the largest county by area in the contiguous United States, SBCoFD protects more than 2 million residents across a 20,000-square-mile service area with an authorized staffing level of over 1,100 full-time positions. As a true all-hazard agency, the District responds to structure fires and medical emergencies in dense urban neighborhoods and to fast-moving wildland fires in the canyons, high desert, and mountains that run throughout the County. Many of those wildland starts occur in terrain that is difficult or impossible for ground crews to reach quickly, and during hours when crewed aircraft are grounded. SBCoFD will use the Seneca Strike Team as a force multiplier for its firefighters, engines, and existing aerial resources in situations that were previously unsafe, inefficient, or impossible. * - Rapid initial attack in inaccessible areas. Seneca's five-aircraft strike team launches from anywhere, delivers more than 500 gallons of finished foam, and reaches a new start in 5-10 minutes or less, supporting the District's goal of stopping fires while they are still small. * - Night operations. Using a suite of onboard sensors, the aircraft navigates in darkness when some other aerial resources are grounded, adding to SBCoFD true 24/7 suppression capability. * - Protecting structures ahead of a fire front. When resources are stretched thin, the Strike Team can coordinate to lay down suppressant or retardant perimeters around key structures and vegetation. * - Safer mop-up. The aircraft can suppress remaining hot spots in labor-intensive mop-up, reducing firefighters' exposure to toxic materials and freeing crews to respond to the next incident. "Our goal is to stop 90% of fires before they grow larger than 10 square feet," said Dan Munsey, Fire Chief of the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District. "Seneca's aircraft give us a capability that has never before been possible: autonomous rapid initial attack. We've been working closely with Seneca for over a year to develop a system that meets our needs. This product will help us to get more quickly to parts of the County that are at the highest risk and help make those communities safer. It force-multiplies what our firefighters can do, and it keeps them safer while they do it." "San Bernardino County Fire Protection District is one of the most respected fire agencies in the world - a true all-hazard department that has a long history of embracing new technologies and approaches to firefighting," said Stuart Landesberg, Founder and CEO of Seneca. "We look for partners that combine excellence, a true service mentality, and a history of innovation. Chief Munsey and San Bernardino Fire embody all three. We are honored to deliver our first system in California to Chief Munsey and his team." SBCoFD expects firefighter training to begin ahead of delivery in the first and second quarters of 2027, with the Seneca system integrated into District operations before the 2027 peak fire season. About the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District. The San Bernardino County Fire Protection District is an all-hazard, all-risk, emergency services provider serving more than 60 communities and cities across approximately 19,200 square miles. From densely populated urban areas to remote mountain communities and vast desert landscapes, County Fire responds to a wide range of emergencies, including fires, medical incidents, hazardous materials incidents, and technical rescues. Committed to protecting the public and its firefighters, the district continues to explore technologies and operational strategies designed to improve, firefighter safety, emergency response, and situational awareness when dealing with emergency incidents. About Seneca. Seneca builds advanced firefighting technology for situations that were previously unsafe, inefficient, or impossible. Based in Sausalito, California, the company develops autonomous heavy-lift drone systems that carry suppressant to the fire line, follow terrain for mapping and vegetation management, and inspect structures and utility infrastructure, with one pilot operating multiple aircraft. Seneca's systems are designed, built, and sourced in America, and serve fire agencies, utilities, and property owners. The company's mission is to protect 500 million acres in the U.S. and allied nations by 2035.