2019-September-11

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Through Fire and Ice, Scott Risks His Life

BY SCOTT WALLER · SYSTEMS ENGINEER MANAGER · WASHINGTON, USA

In the mid-1990s, I was working for Microsoft as a network engineer. On my drive home from work one day, I passed by the local fire station that had a sign saying they were looking for volunteers.

As a kid, I used to dream of being a firefighter, so I said, “Why not?”

Why Not Fight Fires

Many months and hundreds of hours of training later, I became a volunteer firefighter.

The training, camaraderie, stress, adrenaline, heartbreak, and sense of community with your neighbors are difficult to describe. But it’s been the most rewarding experience of my life.

I joined Cisco in 2005. I’ve been a systems engineer and systems engineer manager covering cloud accounts — even before cloud computing was a thing.

I’ll never forget my interview with Cisco. My sales director said, “You’re an EMT? We need you on the team!” Maybe it was the sales targets that were giving her a heart attack at the time.

I used to say I fought fires in the network and real fires at home. Along the way, I met my wife at the fire station. She was also a volunteer firefighter. After marriage, kids, and 10 years of serving, we decided to retire as firefighters.

Check out Scott’s video.

Why Not Fight Ice

Just before I retired from the fire department, my wife and I decided to volunteer for the local ski patrol at Snoqualmie Pass, about an hour east of Seattle. We had many friends who saw the similarities in skills between ski patrollers and firefighters.

So, again, I figured, “Why not?”

Fifteen years later, our family dedicates our weekends all winter long to volunteering up on the mountain while the kids enjoy skiing freely with their second family (other volunteers bring their families along too).

Similar to serving as a volunteer firefighter, volunteer ski patrollers face the same stress, training, and camaraderie with those serving around them.

Building Sensors to Fight Fire and Ice

Early into my time as an avalanche instructor, I took an interest in the science of avalanches. Deaths were rising dramatically as people took greater risks skiing deeper into the backcountry.

I saw a need to use technology to change that risky behavior. I wanted to measure the impact of avalanche awareness signs and training programs.

After a few years of research, AreYouBeeping.org was formed. These beacon check stations — titled “Are Your Beeping” — feature sensors to track backcountry skiers and information to remind them of dangers before they venture out further.

It’s been hugely successful. Twelve years later, we have more than 500 devices deployed in 20 countries.

Using IoT to See Smoke

In 2017, wildfires blanketed the west coast in debilitating smoke. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had launched an innovation challenge to develop low-cost technology to measure smoke in communities.

With my background in firefighting, and as an engineer, I was all in.

A Cisco colleague and I worked on a prototype in my garage for six months. We ended up winning a grant from the EPA, the U.S. Forest Service, NASA, and other agencies.

We’re working closely with many agencies, universities, and the scientific community to use and apply this new technology in research.

The impact? Soon, we’ll see how smoke exposure affects firefighters, agriculture workers, and the public.

From “Why Not?” to Action: What You Can Do

Building a volunteer organization from scratch is not easy, so start small.

Find something you are passionate about — like I did with IoT — and seek those who already run an existing organization.

Then keep asking yourself …

Why not tackle a hard issue to help those in need?

Why not get your family involved as well? Their support is critical to truly devote yourself to a worthy cause.

What Next?

As ski resorts wake from their summer hibernation, my phone rings more frequently. The need for more technology to save lives in the backcountry grows each year.

Every season I continue to ask myself, “Why not?” when faced with saving lives and solving health and safety issues.

If I had more time in the day to develop technology and advance scientific research, I would.

Until then, every season is a learning experience, a challenge to innovate a new future of outdoor safety.

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