Veteran-led wildfire mitigation project kicks off in Arvada

ARVADA, Colo. (KDVR) — Dozens of volunteers are rolling up their sleeves to help mitigate wildfire risk along the Front Range.

Arvada Fire Protection District, in partnership with Jefferson County Open Space and Team Rubicon, a veteran-led organization, spent Saturday at Van Bibber Park to reduce vegetation that could fuel a potential fire.

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“Like the Marshall Fire showed everyone, the term ‘fire season’ doesn’t really mean much in Colorado anymore,” Brady Johnson of Arvada Fire said. “It’s year-round.”

Duane Poslusny, a volunteer with Team Rubicon, said they focused on creating a fuel break between the open space and neighboring homes.

“I served in the army back in Iraq and found Team Rubicon as an organization where I could help out my neighbors, serve my community and hang out with a bunch of great people,” Poslusny said.

The veteran-led humanitarian organization serves global communities before, during and after disasters. Poslusny said they have about 40 volunteers helping over the weekend.

“It’s not a matter of if, it’s really just a matter of when — so doing this work gives homeowners and firefighters a fighting chance to have a better outcome if it does happen here,” Johnson said. “We hope it doesn’t.”

Johnson said they are also focused on educating the surrounding neighborhoods about wildfire preparedness. Arvada Fire encourages homeowners to create a defensible space between their house and the vegetation that surrounds it.

“If you have an open space area near your home or a creek or some other connected place where wildfire could start, you are also at risk, so everyone needs to do their part,” Poslusny said.

Volunteers will be back at Van Bibber Park on Sunday to finish up the project.

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