Team Rubicon Tackles Wildfire Risks On Franktown Properties: 'Try To Be Proactive'

FRANKTOWN, Colo. (CBS4) - As local governments around the state are working to protect communities from another wildfire disaster, a group of volunteers is spending the weekend helping homeowners mitigate fire risks around their homes.

The three-day effort involves close to 100 volunteers from Team Rubicon who are focusing on more than a dozen properties around Franktown.

"There's a lot of high winds out here. There's a lot of scrub oak and debris on the ground that can really cause a lot of devastation," said Megan Kaufman, a planning coordinator with Team Rubicon.

On Saturday, a chorus of chainsaws filled the air near Harry Woods' home of four decades. Each tree cut and cleared offered much needed peace of mind.

"Every year when it gets hot and dry, we're concerned," Wood said. "We try to be proactive before that season comes and trim branches and try to keep the grass mowed back from the edges of the roads."

For Woods and many others in Franktown, fire mitigation is no new concept, but the urgency is heightened two months after the Marshall Fire.

"It brings back the memories of what can happen, and kind of reminds you to be proactive and do as much as you can," he said.

Woods' home is one of fourteen stops for Team Rubicon, a non-profit organization made up of veteran volunteers. It's all part of a joint effort with Douglas County's fire mitigation specialist.

"We've identified some homes in the community that are at a much higher risk, and some homeowners who are unable to do a lot of this work themselves, whether it's due to disability reasons, financial reasons, so we're here to help them out as best we can," Kaufman said.

Team Rubicon's Crews are felling diseased trees and removing them from spaces close to homes at no cost. They're also clearing branches and loose debris that can be fuel for a wildfire.

"I think by the time we leave at the end of the weekend this community is going to be in a much better situation than when we came in," Kaufman said.

Woods called Team Rubicon's help a blessing.

"I'm just so grateful," Woods said.

"They are just so professional. We greatly appreciate what they do."

The volunteers will be back out first thing Sunday morning to finish up the fire mitigation work.