“Plume Domination” is when a fire’s behavior is mostly controlled by winds generated by the fire’s own plume. It’s also the name of a special IPA made by Cerberus Brewing Company (702 W. Colorado Ave.), brewed to raise funds for the all-volunteer Southern Colorado Interagency Wildland Fire Team (SoCo). SoCo supports wildland fire operations and training for seven fire departments in southern El Paso County. The team currently has about 60 members on call all day, every day for wildland fire response in the region.
On April 5 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., $1 from every pint of Plume Domination sold will be donated to SoCo. After that event, Plume Domination will still be available from Cerberus. And those so moved may also donate anytime to SoCo, which just completed its nonprofit registration, enabling it to accept tax-deductible donations.
Special drinking glasses and SoCo merch including patches, stickers, coins and mugs (created by local potter Mark Wong), will also be available at Cerberus.
Donations will go toward the purchase of firefighter gear such as backpacks, helmets, specialized clothing and fire shelters – a safety device of last resort for firefighters trapped by wildfires. Partner fire departments do provide gear to SoCo, but budgets are limited and grants and donations are needed to sustain SoCo’s mission.
Shane Coyne, the Superintendent of SoCo (also a volunteer position), said it costs about $2,100 to outfit one firefighter. SoCo hopes to raise at least $30,000 in 2025 to ensure enough personal protective gear, plus hand tools and other equipment, for the current team and to enable SoCo’s expansion – Coyne noted that a grant from El Pomar was instrumental in getting SoCo up and running.
Coyne is retired from the Air Force – though his life does not much look like a retiree’s.
“I just couldn’t sit on the beach the rest of my life …. I felt the pull to come back in and create something that’s never been done before,” he said, adding, “It’s in my blood to serve.”
But he acknowledges that counting on finding another person to do the administrative duties he currently does for free might not be possible, and SoCo will likely need to do additional fundraising for that position in the future.
For now, though, the focus is on supplies so those on the waitlist to become volunteer firefighters can move into active roles to better support area fire departments.
While the need for firefighters is clear to anyone who followed the recent news out of California – or remembers Colorado Springs’ own catastrophic fire events, such as the 2012 Waldo Canyon fire – why does anyone volunteer for such a dangerous job?
Coyne said most of SoCo’s firefighters have good day jobs and they volunteer “to make an impact … they want to give back to their communities.” The other 20%, he said, has an eye on firefighting as a career, and SoCo – which follows national firefighting standards – is an entry to career firefighting. [I will note here that there are much easier and safer ways to make a buck, so anyone doing this, whether for money or not, must have a heart for service. -ed]
Border Burger supports SoCo
Rick Good, co-owner of Border Burger (934 Manitou Ave.), said his restaurant will also be hosting a fundraiser for SoCo on May 3 with a percentage of the day’s sales going to SoCo, including special SoCo beer mugs and other SoCo merchandise.
Good, who once trained as a wildland firefighter in California and who has supported a number of area causes, said his support of SoCo will not be for one day, but rather an ongoing effort.
“Everybody knows somebody whose life has been impacted by wildfire,” Good noted. “Everyone should support [firefighters].”
To make a tax-deductible donation to SoCo, go to SocoWildlandFire.com, email SoCoWildlandFire@gmail.com, or scan the QR code.
[Border Burger is a Pikes Peak Bulletin advertiser.–ed]
