Can a Bedtime Story Prevent a Wildfire? Inside an Unconventional Plan

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. – August 25, 2026 – In a world grappling with increasingly complex challenges, solutions sometimes emerge from the most unexpected places. It is one thing for corporations and governments to debate policy on wildfire management and chemical safety; it is another entirely for that debate to be packaged into a children’s picture book. Yet, that is precisely the strategy behind “The Adventures of BigWood and LittleWood,” a new series aiming to arm the next generation with knowledge that today’s leaders are still struggling to implement.

Published by Safer Chemistry, LTD, a non-profit organization, the series is the brainchild of its founder, Steve Conboy. His stated reason for targeting the sandbox set over the C-suite is deceptively simple. "I wrote this for kids because kids listen," Conboy said in the announcement. "They are the ones who inherit the forests, the air and the neighborhoods we build in. If we want different decisions in twenty years, that is where the conversation starts."

This isn't a simple tale of friendly forest creatures. The series delves into sophisticated topics: making wood structures fire-resistant, the economics of builder's risk insurance, the chemistry of fire retardants, and the ecological value of carbon stored in timber. It represents a fascinating and unconventional attempt to sidestep the inertia of current industry practices by planting seeds of change in the minds of future consumers, builders, and policymakers. It’s a long-game strategy that deconstructs a multifaceted crisis into a narrative a child can understand, hoping they carry its lessons into adulthood.

From Carpenter to Chemical Crusader

To understand the book series is to understand its author. Steve Conboy is not a typical children’s author; he is a fire-elimination technologist with a four-decade career that began with a union carpenter’s hammer. His journey from building high-rises to battling blazes with biochemistry is rooted in a deeply personal story. Conboy’s advocacy for safer chemistry is fueled by the memory of his father, whose death he attributes to exposure to chemicals once deemed safe during his military service. This personal history transformed his professional focus into a crusade against toxic solutions.

Before founding the non-profit Safer Chemistry, LTD, Conboy established Mighty Fire Breaker, a company that brought his patented, environmentally safe fire-defense programs to the construction industry. His work gained national recognition, particularly for protecting large-scale wood-framed housing projects. His crowning achievement is the invention of CitroTech®, described as the world's only fire retardant certified by the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Safer Choice program. This certification is not a marketing gimmick; it is a rigorous, independent verification that a product performs its function without posing undue risk to human or environmental health.

Conboy’s deep industry experience, from the construction site to the chemical lab, lends significant weight to his message. He is an insider who has chosen an outsider’s method for driving change. The book series, therefore, is more than an educational project; it is the culmination of a life’s work, translating complex scientific and economic arguments into a medium designed for maximum long-term impact.

A Proactive Defense Beyond the Blaze

The central theme woven through “The Adventures of BigWood and LittleWood” is a fundamental shift in perspective: from reactive suppression to proactive defense. The narrative champions the idea that the most effective way to fight a fire is to prevent it from becoming a catastrophe in the first place. This message is a direct reflection of Safer Chemistry, LTD's mission.

The organization operates as a 501(c)(3) non-profit, channeling donations and proceeds—including those from the new book series—into applying its non-toxic fire retardant to protect vulnerable sites. Its projects are not commercial; they focus on defending wildlife sanctuaries with animals that cannot be evacuated, historical landmarks like California’s missions, and other irreplaceable assets. By doing so, it provides a real-world demonstration of the principles espoused in the books.

The series pointedly raises questions about the chemicals traditionally used to treat wood and fight wildfires, advocating for a “harder look” at lower-toxicity options. This is not an abstract call to action. It is backed by Conboy’s own technology, which is also UL GreenGuard Gold Certified for low chemical emissions, making it safe for use in schools and hospitals. By highlighting the availability of proven, safer alternatives, the story challenges the inertia that keeps more hazardous, legacy chemicals in use. It connects the dots for future homeowners and builders, showing how better fire performance in building materials can lead to tangible economic benefits, such as better access to builder's risk insurance in fire-prone regions—a critical issue that Conboy has focused on throughout his career.

Planting Seeds for a Systemic Shift

By choosing children as his primary audience, Conboy is making a strategic bet on the power of generational change. The book series is designed to bypass the political and economic logjams that often stall progress in the forestry, construction, and chemical industries. While lobbyists and executives debate in boardrooms, “BigWood and LittleWood” are explaining the importance of sustainable forestry and non-toxic fire prevention at bedtime.

The series gathers perspectives from a wide array of stakeholders—builders, foresters, fire chiefs, and wildfire survivors—aiming for a holistic and non-political narrative. The explicit respect for firefighters underscores a key point: this is not about criticizing frontline responders but about providing them with better, safer tools and reducing the number of fires they have to fight. As Conboy noted, "Our hope is that firefighters buy this series and read it to their children and grandchildren. They already know what is at stake. This gives them a way to hand that down."

This educational initiative arrives at a time when industries are facing immense pressure to change. Major corporations like Apple and Google are backing efforts like the Safer Chemistry Impact (SCI) Fund to measure and accelerate the adoption of safer chemicals across global supply chains. Conboy's grassroots approach complements this top-down pressure. While large funds work to shift corporate behavior, this children’s book series aims to cultivate a groundswell of public awareness and demand from the bottom up. It’s an ambitious effort to reshape our collective understanding of risk, responsibility, and our relationship with the natural and built environments, one story at a time.