I am currently the Assistant Chief of Administration, Public Education, and the Wildland Fire Mitigation Specialist/PIO, responsible for all aspects of Fire Prevention, Education and Public Information for Grand Fire Protection District No. 1 in Grand County, Colorado. I became occupied and concerned with Colorado’s wildland fire threat after the Lower North Fork Fire in 2012. I started a campaign in my own fire district using Firewise, a customized Ready, Set, Go! Action Guide, and Fire Adapted Community materials. I spent a year updating the district’s 2009 CWPP. After the devastating fires of Waldo Canyon and Black Forest, I wanted to do more for my community, not just limited to my own fire district, so I formed the Grand County Wildfire Council. I designed and created www.bewildfireready.org, the website “helping Grand County residents and visitors live and play more safely with the threat of wildfire” with the help of a local Grand Foundation grant. I recruited volunteers and agency representatives to form a Board of Directors to establish goals, objectives and action plans for the Council. I am the Chairman of this non-profit organization, working collaboratively with members from local, state, and federal government agencies; local fire departments; homeowner groups; businesses; and concerned citizens in promoting wildfire prevention, preparedness, mitigation, and survival through education and action. We have created a regular news column in the local paper called “Fully Involved” that addresses a range of fire prevention, preparedness, mitigation, and survival techniques, including fire adapted concepts. I have participated in wildfire events, incident exercises and the wildfire academy incident management team as a PIO. I recently completed the NFPA course “Assessing Wildfire Hazards in the Home Ignition Zone” and am enthusiastically meeting with homeowners to discuss how they can create a fire adapted home. I am responsible for all finances of both Grand Fire and the Wildfire Council, including budgeting, payroll, accounts payable and receivable, grants and investments. I could not do it without the help and collaboration of my fire department, community volunteers and agency representatives. One person alone cannot do it all, but I am a key leader; a sparkplug, in creating change in Grand County, the state of Colorado and ultimately the nation.