Ladris Technologies Deploys "Forward Ops" – A New Era of AI-Enabled Emergency Planning

San Francisco, CA – May 27, 2025 – Ladris Technologies today announced the launch of Forward Ops, an unprecedented operational unit that combines advanced AI capabilities with the unparalleled expertise of seasoned emergency management leaders. This novel offering provides cities, counties, utilities, and public agencies with immediate access to field-ready emergency response strategies that are custom-designed, continuously updated, and executed directly on the ground, side-by-side with elite operational leadership.

Powered by Ladris Core, Ladris’ comprehensive AI-driven emergency management platform, which integrates the full spectrum of emergency management data into a single system. Forward Ops turns complex geospatial and infrastructure data into dynamically evolving AI-supported action plans that are localized, terrain-aware, and continuously updated. This will provide operational clarity in the moments that matter most.

“Forward Ops is not a toolkit or a binder,” said Shane Lauderdale, Vice President of Forward Deployed Operations. “It is an operational capability composed of individuals who have led some of the largest disaster responses in California’s history, integrated directly into your preparedness and response structures and enhanced with artificial intelligence.”

Elite Operational Leadership

Forward Ops is led by some of the most experienced disaster response professionals in the country, in particular, former senior leadership from CAL FIRE who helped shape the agency’s modern operational doctrine:

• Shane Lauderdale – Former Fire Chief (Chico, CA). Lauderdale has served on a Type 1 Incident Management Team since 2001 and has assisted dozens of communities impacted by disasters, including the Thomas Fire, the Oroville Dam failure, the Camp Fire, and the Kincade Fire.
  
• John Messina – Former Assistant Region Chief and Butte Unit Chief, CAL FIRE. Messina commanded responses to California’s most devastating wildfires, including the Camp Fire and North Complex Fire.
  
• Mike Bradley – Former Northern Region Chief, CAL FIRE. Responsible for oversight of 12 operational units and over 12 million acres, Bradley directed CAL FIRE's largest regional response infrastructure.
  
• Bill Hack – Former Fire Chief (Cities of Chico, Rocklin, Lincoln). Hack has decades of operational leadership in both wildland and municipal emergency services.

As part of Forward Ops, these leaders will deploy with incident response teams, operate within local structures, and participate directly in planning, briefing, and field execution.

“Ladris’ AI handles situational data and can forecast events at a speed that exceeds human capability, but technology alone is not enough. We believe Forward Ops is that next-generation process and will ensure real-world, localized execution by blending the best of artificial and human intelligence,” said Leo Zlimen, CEO of Ladris Technologies. “We expect an accelerated decision curve and reduction in response times, which ultimately save lives.”

An Embedded Execution Model

Forward Ops is modeled on the structure of modern military strategic task forces - agile, adaptive, and always ready. 

Forward Ops is intended for public agencies and infrastructure operators responsible for real-time decision-making under complex and dynamic conditions. This model supports agencies that require direct access to execution-ready teams capable of operating at high speeds.

For media inquiries or deployment coordination:
media@ladris.com | www.ladris.com

About Ladris

Ladris’ mission is to create a future in which every person on Earth is much less likely to die in a disaster or lose their homes, livelihoods, and natural resources to a disaster. Ladris has brought together leading operators, scientists, first responders, emergency managers, and government technology veterans to solve this problem for good. United by purpose, our ambition is to become the first and last solution that communities need to largely eliminate the risk of disasters by making better decisions in advance and in the moment. Learn more at www.ladris.com.