Team Rubicon, a veteran-led disaster response organization, has wrapped up its wildfire and flood mitigation operations in La Plata County. The three-day operation started June 26 and was a community effort between La Plata County Office of Emergency Management and Team Rubicon members.
Team Rubicon had 38 volunteers from Utah, New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado who logged 1,296 hours. These volunteers provided wildfire mitigation, clearing of hazard trees, debris removal and heavy equipment operations to help clean up from the historical flooding and mudslides in 2018. The organization also provided spontaneous volunteer management during the operation.
The efforts of Team Rubicon resulted in a volunteer labor impact and community cost savings of approximately $40,457.23. Team Rubicon performs its services at no cost to those affected, thanks to the generosity of donors and volunteers.
T.J. Hermesman, the operation’s incident commander, said, “The Durango team wants to thank the Team Rubicon members who came to Durango to support the community. The turnout for the operation was amazing and more than we could have expected. This operation allowed Team Rubicon to not only support this community through mitigation and recovery but also provided training to Team Rubicon members. Our team was also honored to be a part of a celebration of life and achievements of a fellow fallen Greyshirt. Team Rubicon will continue to support the fallen member’s wife, also a Greyshirt throughout the years.”
