Media & expert commentary
Wildfire expert available for interviews and commentary.
Todd Lando, Wildfire Mitigation Expert and Battalion Chief, provides on-air and print commentary on wildfire, mitigation, preparedness, climate, and smoke health impacts. Available 24/7 for interviews, including European broadcast hours. Based in US Pacific time. Remote or in-studio.
Topics
Expert commentary on wildfire, mitigation, and preparedness.
Clear, accurate, broadcast-ready analysis, grounded in 36 years in the fire service and current research. Comfortable across audiences and formats, from breaking-news hits to long-form interviews.
Why book Todd Lando
A working chief who explains fire the way audiences understand it.
Not a distant academic and not a talking head: a working battalion chief who has fought the fires he analyzes, wrote mitigation policy the state now follows, and explains complex fire science in plain, quotable language. He named Zone 0, the five feet around a home that research shows decides whether it survives, and served as executive director of the nation's first two nonprofit fire safe councils, a model since replicated in all 50 states.
"In the last six years, where we've watched these fires happen all over Northern California, we've been lucky. We've been dodging bullets. No reason that those fires didn't happen in Marin other than there wasn't an ignition at exactly the right moment."
On-air to CBS News Bay AreaPress kit
Bios, credit line, and headshot.
Credit as
Todd Lando, Wildfire Mitigation Expert and Battalion Chief.
Short bio (one line)
Todd Lando is a wildfire mitigation expert and battalion chief with 36 years in the fire service who named the Zone 0 ember-resistant standard and advises the state of California on wildfire mitigation.
Medium bio
Todd Lando is a wildfire mitigation expert and battalion chief with 36 years in the fire service in Northern California. He named "Zone 0," the ember-resistant zone closest to a home, and has been a leading voice in its statewide adoption. He served as executive director of the nation's first two nonprofit fire safe councils, a community model since replicated in all 50 states, serves on California's Wildfire Mitigation Advisory Committee, and is an NFPA Certified Wildfire Mitigation Specialist. He works on wildfire mitigation in both the US and Europe.
Long bio
Todd Lando is a wildfire mitigation expert and battalion chief with more than 36 years in the fire service in Northern California. He worked the front lines and the planning side of the fires that reshaped how the fire service treats the wildland-urban interface, including the 1991 Oakland and Berkeley Hills Tunnel Fire, the 2017 North Bay fires, and the 2018 Camp and Thomas Fires. He named the ember-resistant zone "Zone 0," the five feet closest to a structure that research identifies as the single biggest factor in whether a home survives a wildfire, and has been a leading voice in its adoption as a statewide standard in California. He served as executive director of Fire Safe San Mateo County and Fire Safe Marin, the nation's first two nonprofit fire safe councils, a community wildfire model since replicated in all 50 states. He serves on California's Wildfire Mitigation Advisory Committee, holds the NFPA Certified Wildfire Mitigation Specialist credential, and is principal of XMR Fire, a wildfire consulting practice serving the western US and Europe. A dual US and Italian (EU) citizen, he is available for work and interviews across North America and Europe.
Headshot: available on request from the media desk.
Formats: live and taped TV, radio, podcast, print, and background briefings. Remote (broadcast-quality setup) or in-studio.
Consulting: for wildfire mitigation consulting engagements, see wildfire prevention services.
Expert consultation: also available for expert witness work and litigation support on structure ignition, mitigation adequacy, and wildfire preparedness. Inquire via the media desk or consulting services.
Media contact
Booking and press inquiries.
Available 24/7, including European broadcast hours. Fast response for outlets on deadline. For consulting inquiries, use the main contact on the About page.