Veteran-led disaster response nonprofit Team Rubicon supports disaster mitigation efforts in Chelan County

LEAVENWORTH - Veteran-led nonprofit global disaster response organization Team Rubicon has deployed more than 50 volunteers from around the Pacific Northwest to Chelan Country for a ten-day operation to reduce the risk and impact of wildfires in the region.

This is the second time Greyshirts, our skilled volunteers, have deployed to the area. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has identified Chelan County as the highest priority in Washington state for wildfire fuel mitigation work so we’re eager to continue the work in coming years.

Incident Commander Bill Blair has participated in many wildfire response and mitigation efforts around the West Coast.

“Greyshirts are trained to respond to disaster, and we’ve seen how devastating wildfire can be to a community. It can take years to recover. That’s why we’re passionate about prevention,” said Blair. “Our trained sawyers and crews get out there with chainsaws and grit to clear the brush, and the dead or down trees that fuel fires. If we can make people and their property safer, we’ve accomplished our mission.”

The operation is a joint effort between Team Rubicon, Cascadia Conservation District, American Red Cross, Chelan County Fire District, Lake Wenatchee Fire & Rescue, and Wenatchee River Institute. Visit teamrubiconusa.org to donate and find more information.

About Team Rubicon: Team Rubicon is a veteran-led humanitarian organization that serves global communities before, during, and after disasters and crises. Founded following the Haiti earthquake in 2010, the organization has grown to more than 160,000 volunteers across the United States and has launched over 1,100 operations domestically and internationally. To drive equity across disaster and humanitarian services, Team Rubicon focuses on three areas of impact: disasterservices- from mitigation to immediate response to recovery; rebuild services- maintaining the fabric of communities through resilient building methods; and international services- providing emergent and surge medical services, WASH, and disaster risk reduction. Visit teamrubiconusa.org for more information.