A team of crisis technologists, disaster responders —and firefighters.
Our team
Mike Ralston
CEO & Co-Founder
An Aerospace engineer, firefighter, and systems innovator, Mike is a serial entrepreneur who has spent his career leading breakthrough programs at the intersection of technology and public safety. From designing spacecraft at NASA to co-founding ventures that opened entirely new market segments, he’s built a reputation for turning bold ideas into practical, field-proven solutions.
A hands-on leader equally at home in the boardroom, fireground, and the lab, Mike has guided first-of-its-kind product launches and national innovation initiatives that have redefined firefighter safety and situational awareness. A longtime community volunteer, his work is shaped by a belief that technology should serve people first. At FireBrake, he’s bringing that conviction to wildfire defense—transforming how communities anticipate and prevent disaster.
Michael Wellborn
Chief Revenue Officer, Co-Founder & Board President
A visionary business leader with a proven track record in sales, business development, and go-to-market strategy, Michael is now pioneering cutting-edge Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) ignition defence solutions as the Founder & President of FireBreak. Leveraging over 30 years of experience in startups, emerging technologies, and operational strategy, Michael specialises in identifying market needs, crafting innovative solutions, and scaling high-impact businesses.
With a deep background in value-based selling, strategic partnerships, and early-stage technology startups, Michael brings execution-focused leadership to a company that blends public safety, fire-tech, enviro-tech, and insurane-tech. Passionate about mitigation, intervention, client success, and business transformation, Michael is driven to create a new industry standard in WUI fire defence—helping homeowners, cities and emergency services, and insurers perform better before, during and after a WUI fire event..
Let’s connect to discuss innovation in WUI ignition defence, strategic partnerships, and scaling impact-driven solutions.
Joseph Pred
Chief Operations Officer, CEM & Co-Founder
Joseph Pred is a board-certified Emergency Manager with over 30 years of experience and is a graduate of FEMA’s National Emergency Management Advanced Academy and a California Office of Emergency Service’s Emergency Management Specialist. His professional focus on risk management and emergency services has spanned both private and public sectors which has included international consulting experience in the Caribbean, the UK, and Africa. He is the founder of Burning Man’s Emergency Services Department and as a member of the senior management team was responsible for guiding organizational fire safety strategy and interagency public safety coordination for over 16 years. Joseph also founded Mutual Aid Response Services in 2000, an emergency management consulting and EMS operations company based in California.
Joseph is a subject matter expert who has authored several books on emergency preparedness, published research, written articles, and has served as an expert witness in legal cases. He has also presented at many conferences, including multiple keynote presentations, such as at SXSW, Google I/O, Carnegie Mellon University Silicon Valley Disaster Management Initiative, the California Emergency Services Association, and Nevada's Department of Public Safety Division of Emergency Management.