Earlier this month, Red Cross volunteers and AmeriCorps members conducted wildfire preparedness home visits and free smoke alarm installations for residents in Bonner and Turah communities.

What began as a one-day outreach event quickly turned into a month full of appointments, thanks to support from homeowners – and a powerful network of new partners.

Newly joining the effort are the Missoula County Office of Emergency Management, Missoula Rural Fire District, U.S. Forest Service, Missoula County Fire Protection Association, the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) and NorthWestern Energy. Together, this coalition of local, state, federal and nonprofit agencies is working to strengthen home safety in the face of an increasingly intense wildfire season.

“I truly foresee the American Red Cross’ role going forward being one where our government partners can rely on us to complete these home risk assessments when they might otherwise be unable to due to staff shortage and a busy wildfire season,” said Ben Reynolds, event coordinator and Southwest Montana community disaster program manager.

The day gave partners like NorthWestern Energy the chance to share more about their own emergency preparedness efforts with homeowners.

“We want to be sure communities are aware of our PSPS (Public Safety Power Shutoffs) strategy and, while they are preparing their home and property for wildfire, we want to ensure they know how to prepare for potential outages,” said Max Rebholz, NorthWestern Energy wildfire public information manager.

By midsummer, Red Cross expects to complete more than 75 home risk assessments and reach around 600 rural households through canvassing efforts, including mailers and door hangers.

It’s a powerful example of how nonprofit volunteers can become strategic assets for government and utility partners, especially during seasons of strained resources.

“During periods of governmental austerity, nonprofits are the ones that pick up the slack,” Reynolds said. “Such is a period we are going through right now in this country.”