BURSTKelowna is going to be the home of drone and aerospace innovation in B.C.
The City of Kelowna, Kelowna International Airport (YLW), FireSwarm Solutions and Okanagan College (OC) have launched partnerships to build a future hub for AI-enabled drone and aerospace innovation.
A Memorandum of Understanding was recently signed by FireSwarm and the City of Kelowna, along with a second one between FireSwarm and Okanagan College.
FireSwarm is a Canadian aerospace and defence startup that develops autonomous drone swarm technology designed for wildfire suppression, emergency response and more.
Mayor Tom Dyas believes innovation and collaboration are key drivers of Kelowna’s growing economy.
“As home to Canada’s largest municipally owned and operated airport at YLW, we’re proud to foster partnerships that bring together talent, ideas and opportunity,” said Dyas.
“This partnership represents an exciting step forward, creating the potential to advance wildfire resilience solutions, support high-quality jobs for future generations, and reinforce Kelowna’s reputation as a hub for innovation and economic growth.”
After years of devastating wildfires throughout the Okanagan and much of the province, these partners believe FireSwarm’s wildfire drone innovation is needed now more than ever.
In 2025, the Kelowna Fire Department joined FireSwarm, bringing a different response to Knox Mountain through an integrated training exercise that demonstrated FireSwarm’s automated drone-swarm platform and its potential to aid in wildfire suppression.
The test was the first step towards this partnership and was observed by BC Wildfire Service, Transport Canada, and other agencies. Now partnered with YLW and OC, the plan is to showcase how technology and systems built for emergency response can serve civilian, sovereign and dual-use needs.
“Partnering with the City of Kelowna and Okanagan College lets FireSwarm grow our presence in a region that has shown itself to be forward-thinking, innovative, and one that knows first-hand what’s at stake when wildfire strikes,” said FireSwarm’s Alex Deslauriers.
Partnering with the college is a commitment to develop and eventually launch programs for aircraft maintenance engineers to train in drone technologies and structures.
According to these partners, construction is underway at YLW to build a new training hangar that adds purpose-built instructional space, with capital construction funded through BPL Legacy Association and OC.
This will allow the college to plan for new programs supporting Kelowna’s aerospace sector, including avionics, un-crewed aerial systems technologies and manufacturing.
Okanagan College President Dr. Neil Fassina said Kelowna has an opportunity to become a leader in the next generation of aerospace and aviation that requires more than technology.
“It requires people with the skills to put that technology to work. Okanagan College is building that pipeline. Our partnership with FireSwarm will help ensure aircraft maintenance engineers and other aerospace professionals are equipped for an industry increasingly shaped by uncrewed systems, AI and advanced manufacturing,” said Fassina.
FireSwarm, the City of Kelowna, YLW and Okanagan College are looking forward to advancing this opportunity.