The National Wildfire Mitigation Awards proigram is supported NASF, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the USDA Forest Service and the National Fire Protection Association.
Southwest Coloradoans accounted for three out of 12 awards handed out nationally for fire mitigation worked performed in communities. Three Colorado winners were Peggy Beach of Pagosa Springs, Les Cole or La Plata County and Phillip Walters of Montezuma County, Colorado. Their awards were presented at the monthly FireWise meeting in Durango, Colorado.
“It helps take the mental stress off when you’ve thought about how a fire is going to interact with the community. It helps to deal with it if you’ve really internalized what’s going to happen. Because someday, something will happen.” – Phillip Walters, Montezuma County
All of their efforts have saved numerous tax dollars, homes and lives in their local communities.