FireSafe wins Rep. Brad Sherman’s 2025 Congressional App Challenge in California’s 32nd District

When asked what inspired the creation of FireSafe, the students said, “Sirens blaring. The sky is orange.

“Fires in Los Angeles in January of 2025 caused 29+ deaths, destroyed 16,000 structures, and displaced tens of thousands. One of Advait’s childhood best friends lives in the Palisades area; his school was completely destroyed. The devastation caused by the fires earlier this year cannot be overlooked. These fires underscored the fragility of our communities and our fire-safety mechanisms, calling for more proactive preparedness so that this kind of damage never happens again.

“We can all remember sitting there, watching the news, completely shocked about what was happening. The smell of smoke could be felt throughout the entire Los Angeles area. Everyone was worried that a fire might spring up near where they lived, causing them to have to abandon their homes. The sheer helplessness of the situation motivated us to create a solution to empower neighborhoods to be proactive, rather than react to natural disasters. 

“This led us to create FireSafe, the application that equips homeowners with the tools necessary to proactively protect their homes and communities together. With the rapid rise of artificial intelligence, we saw a possibility of using image classification to help personalize home protection to each person, rather than providing a general list of steps someone can take. We wanted to provide actionable steps to secure homes, and eventually communities. 

“Noticing these gaps in our community, we were inspired to take initiative to create FireSafe. Working together taught us to understand the importance of collaboration and community, leading us to develop community-centric features to connect and empower others. FireSafe embodies a vision where technology and community action help make sure our communities are ready to prevent tragedies like the Los Angeles fires.”