Why State Farm Is Investing in Faster Wildfire Response

Kate Strubhar

By Kate Strubhar, Vice President, State Farm Ventures

In the first hours of a wildfire, emergency teams must make fast decisions about evacuations, firefighting resources and which communities are most at risk. Those decisions depend on timely, reliable information as conditions change.

Having a clearer picture of what's happening can help emergency responders assess the situation and coordinate their response.

At State Farm^®, we believe reducing wildfire risk requires protecting individual homes and strengthening the communities around them. And as wildfire risk grows, helping people recover after a disaster is only part of the job. We also have to look for ways to improve what happens before and during an event. That means supporting preparedness efforts before wildfires occur and investing in technology intended to give emergency responders timely information.

That's why State Farm is investing in EMBERPOINT, a wildfire intelligence company launched in January 2026 by Lockheed Martin, PG&E Corporation, Salesforce and Wells Fargo.

The investment brings State Farm's experience in disaster preparedness and recovery to a group of companies working to improve how emergency teams respond to wildfires. As the nation’s largest home insurer, we also bring a unique perspective on how disasters affect homes, customers and communities – and where better information and earlier action can make a difference.

 

Better information when every minute matters

EMBERPOINT is working on technology to help bridge the gap between detecting wildfires and responding to them, giving emergency teams better information to make decisions and take action.

Today, information about a developing fire may be spread across different systems and agencies. EMBERPOINT aims to bring that information together so emergency teams have a clearer picture of changing conditions.

For families and communities facing a wildfire, those decisions matter.

 

Building resilience before and during a wildfire

Better wildfire response is one part of building safer, more resilient communities. State Farm has also spent decades supporting research and preparedness efforts aimed at reducing damage before disaster strikes.

As a founding member of the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), State Farm helped fund and launch its Research Center in 2010. The center studies ways to make homes more resilient to threats like wildfires.

We're also a longtime partner of the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH), which helps families prepare for disasters, and we recognize community wildfire preparedness efforts through programs such as Firewise USA.

Our experience helping customers recover from disasters reinforces an important lesson: building stronger, safer communities takes preparation, innovation and people working together. It also means looking beyond recovery and investing in ideas that can help communities prepare earlier and respond more effectively when risk becomes real.

 

Preparing today for what comes next

Those experiences remind us that there's always more we can do to prepare for the next disaster. For State Farm, resilience increasingly means helping communities prepare earlier, respond faster and reduce the impact of disaster before loss becomes inevitable. By investing in new ideas and working alongside others, we're putting State Farm's broader commitment to protecting homes and communities into action. Our investment in EMBERPOINT is one example of that work.

About the author

Kate Strubhar is Vice President of State Farm Ventures, where she leads the company's venture investment and scouting efforts. Her experience includes corporate development, strategic partnerships, mergers and acquisitions, and investment management. She holds a bachelor's degree in Finance and an MBA from Illinois State University.