National First Responders Day: Honoring the Heroes in the LA Community Brigade

The term “first responder” refers to those who are the first to arrive and provide assistance during an emergency. They are the firefighters who run straight into burning buildings; the paramedics who administer first aid at the scene of an accident; and the police officers who risk their own safety to de-escalate dangerous situations. 

We celebrate these brave individuals all year long by offering free memberships to all first responders through our Thrive Gives program. In honor of National First Responders Day, we want to show even more gratitude by showcasing our own local heroes: the L.A. County Fire Department’s Community Brigade, a unique volunteer organization that aids the fire department during Southern California’s most dangerous wildfires — including the devastating Eaton Fire and Palisades Fire in early 2025. 

“We’re passionate about normalizing mutual support amongst community members ahead of disasters,” says Community Brigade member Kate Buckwald. “Our communities are only as prepared as our most vulnerable neighbors.”

A Volunteer Organization Bridging the Gap Between Community Members and Firefighters

In our hometown of Los Angeles, wildfires are a fact of life. They are a constant threat and a visceral representation of our changing climate. The Community Brigade was born from a deep understanding of the ever-presence of these wildfires, and a unique desire to better understand them, prepare for them, and, when necessary, to fight them.

According to the Los Angeles Emergency Preparedness Foundation, many fire departments in California are desperately lacking the resources and support required to adequately keep up with wildfires. The Community Brigade helps to bridge this resource gap. Armed with a uniquely intimate knowledge of their “home turf”, they’re a key resource for first responders. “We offer education on wildfire risk and mitigation that is so empowering to residents and our communities,” says Community Brigade member Dana Wolf. “It’s so important to build resilient homes in wildfire-prone areas, and no one better to do that than your neighbors.”

Community Brigade members aren’t firefighters by trade. The group currently includes people from a myriad of backgrounds, including engineers, landscapers, contractors, a naval scientist, and many who work in various roles throughout the film and television industry. Some of them have lost their homes in prior wildfires; all of them have experienced the threat of fire in their own backyards. 

“Holding ground emotionally [for community members] is so much harder than attacking a fire or clearing brush,” says Buckwald. “Especially if it’s where you also live.” 

Emergency Response Training for All

Research shows that during a wildfire, 90% of homes that burn don’t ignite due to contact with flames, but rather from flying embers carried by high winds. Brigade members are trained by the Los Angeles Fire Department to be able to respond to fires by supporting “mop-up” efforts, which helps to mitigate these flying embers from the blaze to prevent the fire from spreading. 

They’re also trained in fire behavior, which refers to understanding how fires start, spread, and change based on different conditions; communications, so that first responders can share information clearly and efficiently during an emergency; and operational procedures, including standardized safety protocols used during wildfires. “The Community Brigade bridges the gap between the community and resources [like the fire department], as fellow neighbors who know the roads and the terrain,” Wolf says.

During times without an active wildfire, the Brigade enters the community to assist with “home hardening”. This helps community members to reduce their homes’ vulnerability to damage from a wildfire through thoughtful building materials and consistent maintenance. For example, volunteers may help a neighbor to replace roofs or siding with fire-resistant materials, or to remove flammable vegetation from around a home. 

“During the Palisades Fire, we had completed dozens of Home Ignition Zone (HIZ) assessments within the burn perimeter, working closely with homeowners who took the science seriously and made real changes to harden their properties,” recalls Community Brigade member Tyler Hauptman. “When we returned after the fire passed through these neighborhoods, many of those homes were still standing — even in areas like Las Flores Canyon, which saw some of the most extreme fire behavior ever witnessed. These homes survived without any firefighting resources on scene. Seeing that was the ultimate validation of the HIZ principles and proof that when residents take action and apply what they’ve learned, they can truly change the outcome and prevent loss.” 

The Brigade saved many other homes in the Pacific Palisades, Topanga Canyon, and Malibu by using these techniques. 

“A lot of our members didn’t know each other well and were very new to fire service, but we were able to come together with a lot of heart when the moment required it,” says Buckwald. “It’s the strength of our bonds with each other and to our community that enabled us to be as effective as we were, to keep each other safe, and to keep showing up. It’s a beautiful thing.”

Fighting Fires With Education, Empowerment, and Empathy 

“The human element of a disaster is sometimes as difficult to control as these enormous wildfires themselves,” says Buckwald. In fires as unprecedented as the Eaton and Palisades fires, the Brigade had to face the difficult task of helping their friends and neighbors evacuate from blazing flames, attempt to walk to safety after abandoning their vehicles in standstill traffic, and even locate and rescue those who were afraid or unwilling to leave their homes.

“You have to maintain a certain amount of detachment and ‘toughness’ in the face of the physical challenges and danger, but also still allow enough empathy to be able to coax people who are in shock to leave their burning homes and let you to help them evacuate themselves, their family, and their pets,” Buckwald says.

Despite this detachment, the Brigade members are inextricably linked to their community. It’s a unique position to be in, occupying the roles of both the heroes doing the rescuing, and also residents dealing with the very same fear and devastation themselves. But regardless of their own feelings, Brigade members’ knowledge of and personal attachment to the areas they serve is ultimately their biggest source of strength, something that even the most well-trained firefighters don’t possess. 

“I’m a mom of two boys, and find it so rewarding to help educate other families at my kids’ school and in our neighborhood,” Wolf says. “We’re able to help others learn fire safety, prepare homes, and in an emergency evacuate knowing they have done all they can during a time when everything feels out of control.” 

She recalls a story from one of the first nights of the Palisades fire that highlights this personal connection: 

“I was driving to check on a house and saw a resident walking on the side of the road. He was covered in soot and looked very tired. He flagged me down after seeing Brigade decals on the car. After telling me his car and home had just burned down, he asked me for help to get him to safety.  He had another 10 miles to where his son was and no service to call for help. At that moment, I knew he would have not asked the fire department for help because he would not have taken away special resources [from neighbors], but knowing I was a volunteer and neighbor, he felt comfortable enough to ask for help. We’ve kept in touch and supported each other ever since.” 

Wildfires in Southern California are inevitable, but the devastation that follows doesn’t have to be. The Brigade believes that all residents should have access to education in emergency preparedness — and that as a community, neighbors should know, help, and care for one another. “The Brigade is an accessible resource to residents as fellow neighbors who know the areas and can help each other, even in our worst moments,” Wolf says.

“The most meaningful part of working with the Brigade is seeing people shift from fear and frustration to empowerment and action,” says Hauptman. “Watching residents learn the science behind wildfire resilience and then take real steps to protect their homes and help others is incredibly rewarding. It’s about building trust, community, and shared responsibility. Every time I see someone go from, ‘Someone should do something’ to ‘We can do this together’, it reinforces why this work matters.”

Thrive Gives: Free Thrive Market Memberships for First Responders 

At Thrive Market, we honor heroes like the Community Brigade all year long by offering free memberships to all first responders through our Thrive Gives program.

If you’re a first responder, apply for your free one-year membership here.