As wildfires have burned tens of thousands of acres and hundreds of homes and other structures amid record-dry conditions, officials are urging Colorado residents to combat the flames proactively — before the next spark catches.

Colorado Springs has been scarred by some of the state’s most destructive fires over the past 15 years. The town and surrounding area were ravaged first by the Waldo Canyon Fire in 2012 and then by the Black Forest Fire the next year.

According to Kris Cooper, Colorado Springs Fire Marshal, conditions had aligned perfectly for a massive blaze. When trees ignite, they emit millions of embers that, driven by strong winds, can spread flames for miles.

“Most people think of embers as a pop in their fireplace or around a campfire,” Cooper explained.

“When you talk about a wildfire event, it's much more akin to a blizzard type situation where there's millions of embers being produced and blown through the air.”

That can be especially dangerous in what is known as the “wildland urban interface,” where unoccupied land merges with neighborhoods.

That’s what happened with previous fires in the area.

“Once it got into the homes, then that fire was able to burn home to home to home, and it's hot and fast,” Cooper said.

“When an event like that happens, you basically have to get out of the way, let that fire burn through, and then come back and pick up the pieces.”

Phil Long Dealerships, an automotive group in the area, kept its service departments open around the clock at the time to repair ambulances and firetrucks, some of which came in with melted tires.

Exhausted firefighters napped in hallways while their vehicles were repaired. The automotive group let the American Red Cross, one of Ford’s philanthropy partners, use some of its trucks.

“Our community was not just touched, but hammered by fire,” Kevin Shaughnessy, president and CEO of Phil Long Dealerships, said.

That’s why prevention and preparation are so important.

The automotive group has continued stepping up to educate the community about prevention, support firefighters, and help those who have lost homes and dreams to the ashes.

The group partnered with Team Rubicon, a humanitarian organization dedicated to helping communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters.

It’s part of a broader initiative known as Ford Building Together, which brings Ford, Ford Philanthropy, dealers, employees, products, and services together to help strengthen communities. Team Rubicon is led by military veterans and powered by “greyshirts” — the colloquial name for the Team Rubicon volunteers who wear grey shirts.

The organization participated in Wildfire Prevention Night hosted June 25 at Phil Long Ford of Chapel Hills in Colorado Springs. Together with Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center, the Colorado Springs Fire Department, forestry experts, and others, Team Rubicon and Phil Long Ford taught residents how to push back against wildfires before they ignite.

The Importance of Fire Prevention

Shaughnessy decided to host the Wildfire Prevention Night in Colorado Springs after learning from a similar function at their Ford dealership in Denver that his own property was vulnerable to fire.

Those vulnerabilities put him and his neighbors at risk. He made improvements like replacing his roof with fire-resistant material. And he wanted to share what he had learned about fire prevention with others.

The message resonated with Chris Detone, the general manager and partner at Phil Long Ford of Chapel Hills, who was moved by the event to fix his own property.

Detone learned that the wood fence connected to his house is like a “fuse” leading directly to the structure, so he decided to replace the section closest to the home with concrete.

Detone also jumped at the opportunity to join Shield616, a volunteer organization that supports first responders, to personally deliver a load of supplies to weary firefighters behind the lines. He was struck by the dedication of local firefighters who had lost their own homes but continued to fight to save those of others.

“The biggest thing for me going up there was seeing how many people from all over the country show up when something like this happens,” he said.

“It was special to get behind the lines and see what those guys go through.”

Carrying on a Legacy of Serving Others

Along with holding educational events and helping with prevention, Team Rubicon also shows up in the aftermath. Greyshirts help clear land of dead trees and other debris that can be fire risks again in the future. When homes burn down, volunteers remove brick and melted metal, so sifting companies can come in and help people look for anything salvageable, such as a safe that’s holding personal documents or even something as special as a late grandmother’s wedding ring.

“It's depressing when a home burns down in a wildfire,” said Eric Lawson, Team Rubicon’s operations associate for Colorado and Wyoming.

“It’s my least favorite work because when a home burns, it burns down into the foundation, and usually nothing is left but a chimney.”

Shaughnessy says the Team Rubicon partnership is natural for Phil Long Dealerships.

Founder Philip Long was a decorated WWII Navy fighter pilot who was dedicated to serving others. He flew 120 missions in a Grumman F6 Hellcat off the deck of the carrier USS Enterprise and was shot down twice. He remained committed to serving others when he got home.

Long’s friend Jay Cimino, who later ran the dealership group, was a Marine veteran.

It’s important to Shaughnessy and others at Phil Long Dealerships to continue that legacy of positive impact in their communities.

Holbrook Mohr is a contributing writer from Brandon, Mississippi.