In the critical first hours following the deadliest wildfire in modern California history, emergency responders struggled with a fundamental problem that has plagued disaster zones for decades: the collapse of communication networks when they’re needed most. Cell towers burned, landlines melted, and the resulting information vacuum hampered evacuation efforts, delayed rescue operations, and likely contributed to the tragic death toll.
In 2024, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reported that there was at least one active major disaster in the U.S. for 267 out of 366 days. This meant nearly three-quarters of the year involved ongoing disaster response somewhere in the country.
Against this increasing disaster frequency and failing infrastructure, a new technology called the Vatroni System from tech company Teklium emerged. This system fundamentally reimagines emergency communications by drawing inspiration from quantum mechanics and deploying artificial intelligence in unprecedented ways.
Exploring the 12-Hour Problem
Traditional disaster response management systems face a critical deployment dilemma. According to operational reports from FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security, establishing functional emergency communications typically takes about 12 hours, precious time during which lives hang in the balance.
This delay stems from the complex infrastructure required: mobile satellite units, cell towers on wheels (COWs), temporary microwave networks, and emergency operation centers, all dependent on generators, towers, and extensive cabling.
This vulnerability was starkly illustrated during 2018’s Hurricane Michael, when 95% of Bay County, Florida, cell sites went offline simultaneously. Similar failures occurred during the week after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, where over 46% of cell sites in Bay County were still down.
“The first 24 hours after a disaster are when the most lives can be saved, yet we routinely spend half that time just trying to establish reliable communication networks,” explains Jason Ho, founder of Teklium.
The AI-Driven Alternative
During a recent Vatroni presentation to key business and government leaders, founder Jason Ho gave a definition of the Vatroni System. He said it is “an innovative AI-driven wireless and video transmission system that offers fast, secure, lossless, and fault-tolerant communication without the need for traditional infrastructure. This makes it ideal for mission-critical operations and environments like disaster zones, defense operations, and industrial monitoring.”
The system takes a fundamentally different outlook, eliminating dependence on fixed infrastructure. Instead of requiring towers and cables, Vatroni creates an instant, self-healing mesh network using mobile devices, drones, and what the company calls “EQC” (Emulated Quantum Communication) technology.
A compact kit forms the centerpiece of this system, and teams can deploy it within minutes. It includes tethered or untethered drones that establish wireless coverage over disaster zones, mobile devices loaded with specialized software, and a command center that can run on a laptop.
What makes Vatroni particularly noteworthy is how it addresses the dual challenges of rapid deployment and security, which typically oppose goals in communications technology.
Transforming Disaster Response
Beyond the technical specifications, Vatroni represents a philosophical shift in disaster response. Rather than building increasingly hardened fixed infrastructure, which still inevitably fails in extreme events, it embraces a distributed, adaptive method.
During typical emergency and disaster response, the Vatroni system rapidly establishes secure and reliable communications in environments where traditional infrastructure is damaged or unavailable.
Legacy systems depend on mobile satellite units, cell towers, or fiber-optic networks, which can take up to 12 hours to deploy and are highly vulnerable to power outages. In contrast, Vatroni’s self-contained kit can be set up in minutes. Its compact hardware and software operate seamlessly on generators or battery packs, making certain that first responders and command centers maintain uninterrupted connectivity even in blackout or remote scenarios.
“The paradigm for decades has been to build bigger towers, bury deeper cables, and hope they withstand whatever comes,” explains Jason Ho. “But we’ve seen repeatedly that Mother Nature will eventually overcome those defenses. The smarter perspective is to build systems that expect failure and adapt around it.”
Self-Healing Networks
Perhaps most impressive is the Vatroni system’s resilience. Traditional networks collapse when key components fail, but Vatroni’s AI-driven mesh network automatically reroutes traffic in real-time when nodes are lost. This decentralized process continuously operates even as conditions on the ground change or devices compromise it.
The Vatroni Kit includes drones that can be rapidly deployed to extend wireless coverage over large or inaccessible areas. The system’s drones serve dual purposes: they act as aerial network nodes while simultaneously gathering visual intelligence.
Using carbon nanotube-reinforced tethers, these drones can remain airborne continuously while maintaining an electromagnetic connection to the ground station, making them resistant to jamming. These drones support real-time video and data transmission for situational awareness, search and rescue, and coordinated relief efforts.
Beyond Theory: Practical Applications
While Vatroni’s technology, featuring quantum-inspired encryption, AI-driven mesh networks, and real-time data transmission, represents a state-of-the-art advancement, Jason Ho and Teklium prioritize practical impact over technical achievements.
For the founder, the system was not developed simply to showcase innovative components like read-once technology or ephemeral encryption keys. Instead, these elements were purpose-built to address the fundamental failure points plaguing disaster response communication systems.
Ho’s perspective reflects a philosophy in which technology serves humanity, and sophisticated applications are measured by their ability to solve real problems. This human-centered design transforms what could have been an impressive but inaccessible technical achievement into a practical tool that serves communities in their most vulnerable moments.
Such systems could potentially close the critical gap between disaster impact and effective response by eliminating dependence on fixed infrastructure, incorporating quantum-inspired security, and using AI for self-healing networks.
As disasters strike at the most unexpected times, Jason Ho wants to help communities be prepared in those first critical hours. He sees Vatroni’s success as not being measured in patents or profits, but in lives saved and suffering reduced.
For founder Jason Ho, that is the only metric that ultimately matters.
Please visit Teklium’s website for more information about Vatroni.
*The SF Weekly newsroom and editorial were not involved in the creation of this content.