By Shannon Lukens. (Photos courtesy Team Rubicon)
Steamboat Springs Fire Rescue is working on fire mitigation on Emerald Mountain. Team Rubicon is joining the Routt County Wildfire Mitigation Council to do the work this weekend, July 29-30. Josh Hankes is Executive Director of the local council.
“We’re super excited to have Team Rubicon coming with a big volunteer effort like this to kickstart this project on Emerald which is so critical to protecting Howelsen Hill and downtown Steamboat Springs.”
Team Rubicon has about 40 to 50 people helping with the wildfire mitigation efforts starting this Saturday through Sunday afternoon. You’ll see them working in gray shirts up on Emerald Mountain. They will be all set up at Steamboat Springs Middle School during their deployment.
An information session will be hosted at the Veterans Center at 924 Lincoln Avenue at 7 p.m. Wednesday night.
Then all of Team Rubicon will be wearing their gray shirts in the concrete bleachers at the rodeo Saturday night.
At 9:15 a.m. on Sunday, July 30, there is a Wildfire Mitigation Project Tour for the public with Yampatika. Registration is required and can be found at www.routtwildfire.org/events
Then on Sunday, it’s the Clap Out Ceremony at the base of Blackmer Trail, to show thanks for Team Rubicon’s efforts. Everyone is invited. It’s at 3:30 p.m.
“So we’re trying to grab as many people as we can on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. along the 13th Street Bridge and/or at the base of Blackmer Trial to just give this crew a round of applause as they finish out their last shift.”
Team Rubicon works strictly through donations, which are 100% tax deductible. Find out more at RouttWildFire.org/TeamRubicon.
Routt County Wildfire Mitigation Council is providing meals, Rodeo tickets and supplies for Team Rubicon and is requesting donations to help offset the cost. Donations can be made at www.routtwildfire.org/teamrubicon. Sponsorship levels are as follows:
○ Mitigation Hero $2,500
○ Dinner for the Troops $1,500
○ Lunch for the Troops $1,000
○ Breakfast for the Troops $ 750
○ Round of Drinks at the Rodeo $ 500
○ Fuel for Chainsaws & Trucks $ 250
And all sponsorship donors will be provided with a Team Rubicon T-Shirt signed by the entire crew.
Link to press release from the City of Steamboat Springs; July 24, 2023.
SSFR Conducts Emerald Mountain Fire Mitigation Project
Team Rubicon in Steamboat Springs for Three-Day Work Session Over July 28-30
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, COLORADO-July 24, 2023-Steamboat Springs Fire Rescue (SSFR) is underway implementing a four-year effort to mitigate critical infrastructure and improve wildland fire prevention on Emerald Mountain starting this summer.
“As we’ve seen over the years — recent years, anyway — wildfires are increasingly unpredictable,” said Chief Chuck Cerasoli in an interview. “The biggest concern, and what we saw over in Grand Lake and in other areas, is a fast-moving wildfire that creates these ember storms. They can really land anywhere.”
With grant funding provided by Colorado State Forest Service, chipping equipment has been secured by SSFR to help with fuels reduction throughout the Steamboat Springs Area Fire District.
The two-person wildland fire crew has hit the ground running and is currently working on Blackmer Road. Timber and brush are being cleared approximately 25 feet from the center of the road and large pieces are being bundled in piles for burning, and chipping/removal later.
Over the summer, the local SSFR team will be working their way down the popular trail road as well as on Prayer Flag Rd and Lane of Pain to reduce fuels, creating valuable zones to slow or stop a wildfire. In addition, mitigation efforts using a variety of methods in adjacent neighborhoods, like Fairview and Brooklyn, will be the focus of the reduction program.
The Routt County Wildfire Mitigation Council has secured Team Rubicon to join in the effort this summer. Thirty to forty members of this veteran led humanitarian organization will be split into two teams for work around the Communications Towers at the summit and conducting residential assessments on properties that border city land in the Fairview neighborhood. Team Rubicon will also assist SSFR Wildland Fire on work in the zone upslope from the neighborhood.
“After a few discussions between Team Rubicon and local agencies, it was decided that support for the Emerald Mountain project would have a lasting impact and would be a great way to kick off the long-term project,” said Wildfire Mitigation Council executive director Josh Hankes.
A Type-3 Wildland Urban Interface Fire Engine, chipper box truck, and chipper have been added to the department’s arsenal of wildland fire equipment. SSFR seasonal wildland firefighters conduct home assessments, implement mitigation efforts, educate the public and respond/deploy to wildfires.
-WeServeTheCity
Press release from Routt County Wildfire Mitigation Council; July 19, 2023.
Team Rubicon is Coming!
Wildfire mitigation efforts on Emerald Mountain to receive a helping hand.
Steamboat Springs, CO; July 19, 2023: Steamboat Springs Fire Rescue (SSFR) has started a 4-year effort to mitigate critical infrastructure and improve the fire break along Blackmer Drive this summer. With grant funding provided by Colorado State Forest Service, chipping equipment has been secured by SSFR to help with fuels reduction throughout the District. Now, it’s time to get that project moving and Team Rubicon is joining the effort.
After a few discussions between Team Rubicon coordinators, the Routt County Office of Emergency Management (OEM), the Routt County Wildfire Mitigation Council and SSFR, it was decided that support for the Emerald Mountain project would have a lasting impact and would be a great way to kick off the longer term project. To supplement the effort, Team Rubicon wanted to provide some direct outreach to residents, so planning around the Fairview neighborhood was added to the agenda.
Alyssa Ingles with OEM worked with Team Rubicon at her previous position in Grand County and said, “The amount of work the Team Rubicon ‘grey shirts’ can complete in a weekend is absolutely incredible. They are consistently some of the most dedicated and motivated volunteers I’ve ever worked with, and they always seem to be having fun. I’m so excited to see the work and outreach they’ll complete on Emerald and in the Fairview neighborhood.”
Members of Team Rubicon’s planning leadership were in town for RECON on Monday June 19th to look at the identified project areas and visit Steamboat Springs Middle School, where Team Rubicon will set up operations and shelter during their deployment. “This is perfect,” said Duane Poslusny, Project Manager for Team Rubicon, referring to the spaces available for use at the school. And on Friday 6/30, the final approval for the mission was received.
Team Rubicon is planning to send 40-50 ‘grey shirts’ from all over the county to tackle wildfire mitigation efforts starting Friday 7/28 and working through the weekend. Team Rubicon is a veteran-led humanitarian organization that serves global communities before, during, and after disasters and crises. There is no cost associated with their service, as their organization is funded 100% through donations.
If you’re interested in getting more involved or supporting this effort, the following resources and events are taking shape:
● Routt County Wildfire Mitigation Council is providing meals, Rodeo tickets and supplies for Team Rubicon and is requesting donations to help offset the cost. Donations can be made at www.routtwildfire.org/teamrubicon. Sponsorship levels are as follows:
○ Mitigation Hero $2,500
○ Dinner for the Troops $1,500
○ Lunch for the Troops $1,000
○ Breakfast for the Troops $ 750
○ Round of Drinks at the Rodeo $ 500
○ Fuel for Chainsaws & Trucks $ 250
Donations can be made at: https://routtwildfire.org/teamrubicon/ or All donations are 100% tax deductible and sponsors will be designated and included on
a card presented to Team Rubicon at the Appreciation Ceremony on Sunday 7/31. And all sponsorship donors will be provided with a Team Rubicon T-Shirt signed by the
entire crew!
● 7/26/23, 7pm: Team Rubicon Info-Session hosted by the Veterans Center at 924 Lincoln Ave. in Steamboat Springs, CO
● 7/29/23, 7pm: Team Rubicon is going to the Steamboat Pro Rodeo! Keep an eye out for the ‘grey-shirts’ on the concrete bleachers and join us in giving them a round of
applause!
● 7/30/23, 9:15am: Wildfire Mitigation Project Tour for the public with Yampatika. Registration is required and can be found at www.routtwildfire.org/events
● Sunday 7/31, 3:30pm: Team Rubicon Appreciation Clap Out Ceremony. Join us at the base of Blackmer Trail to show our thanks for Team Rubicon’s efforts. Open to the
public… no registration required.
Contact Josh Hankes with any questions at josh.hankes@routtwildfire.org