About Red Lion Wildfire Defence
Our Story
The Why
Why We Do What We Do
On the evening of Sunday, October 8, 2017, around 9:00 PM, I was driving home from working harvest at Sloan Winery in Rutherford when I saw an eerie, unmistakable glow cresting the eastern hills. It was the beginning of the Atlas Peak Fire pushing hard into the Stags Leap AVA. I immediately called my best friend, whose property lay directly in its path. Caught in the sudden panic of packing, he told me he needed help evacuating his elderly mother.
I showed up at his gate just as the wildfire began burning down the hillside toward us. For the next few hours, under an onslaught of roaring winds, blinding smoke, and falling embers, we worked urgently to move vehicles and pack what we could. The situation felt completely surreal—your mind is desperately trying to comprehend the chaos around you while constantly fighting the raw urge to run. Even a local law enforcement officer who stood watch with us remained completely silent and calm, anchored against the madness of the night.
Eventually, the fire pressed too close to the main house and surrounding structures, forcing us to make the call to pull out. My friends arrived to help and captured a photograph of us in those final seconds. It is still an incredibly difficult picture for me to look at. It catches the exact moment I had to look at my best friend and tell him everything was going to be okay, a lie to comfort him, and a lie to myself, because none of us knew if it would be. The sheer exhaustion, shock, and despair of facing the loss of everything he owned is written entirely in his body language.
In hindsight, we left at the absolute last safe second. When we returned later, the driveway and access roads were completely blocked by fallen trees, downed utility poles, and hot live wires; if we had stayed even minutes longer, we would have been trapped. While the main house miraculously survived, the surrounding structures and caretaker’s home were entirely incinerated, leaving nothing behind but cracked concrete foundations and the ash outlines of where furniture had combusted.
Living through the Atlas Peak Fire fundamentally shifted my trajectory. Witnessing that level of destruction firsthand and experiencing the terrifying reality of what happens when a community is unprepared is exactly why I dedicated my career to wildfire mitigation, fuels reduction, and landscape resilience. I do this work because I know exactly what is at stake when the wind shifts, and I am driven to ensure that our neighbors and communities have the defenses they need before the next glow appears on the horizon.
About Kevin
More About Kevin In His Own Words
Based in the North Bay, I am a wildfire mitigation and vegetation management specialist with over seven years of experience designing and implementing hazardous fuels reduction projects across Napa and Sonoma Counties. Combining technical forestry skills with a deep understanding of environmental regulations, I lead large-scale vegetation projects from initial planning and public agency bidding through to final field implementation. My expertise bridges the gap between complex regulatory frameworks including CEQA, NEPA, and multi-agency permitting—and practical, on-the-ground fire safety applications.
As an NFPA Certified Wildfire Mitigation Specialist (CWMS), I specialize in conducting Wildfire Risk Assessments using Fire Aside software to deliver precise, data-driven property evaluations. Our operations are fully insured, bonded, and backed by a California C-49 Tree and Palm Service license, ensuring the highest professional standards of safety, liability protection, and regulatory compliance. As an ISA Certified Arborist, California Licensed Timber Operator (Type B), and current Wildland Firefighter Type 2 (FFT2), I bring an ecology-first approach to community wildfire resilience. I regularly leverage GIS/Field Maps for precise project tracking and excel at facilitating collaborative initiatives with interdisciplinary teams, public agencies, and community stakeholders.
Deeply invested in the local prescribed fire movement, I have been an active member of the Good Fire Alliance since 2018 and a dedicated training exchange participant and volunteer with Audubon Canyon Ranch’s Fire Forward program since 2020. Whether drafting public agency RFPs, interpreting fire safety standards, or managing field contracts, I am dedicated to fostering fire-resilient landscapes and safer communities in Northern California.
Kevins Credentials
The Credentials Behind Every Education Program
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ISA Certified Arborist
Certified in tree biology, health, and fire risk. Essential for community education on native tree selection, defensible space planning, and neighborhood canopy management.
Firefighter 2 Wildland
Trained to National Fire Protection Association standards. The credential Fire Safe Councils, Firewise communities, and HOAs look for when selecting a wildfire educator.
Cal Fire Timber Operator
California state licensed for vegetation management. The field authority behind every training program and community talk Red Lion delivers in State Responsibility Areas and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones.
NIFC Trained
Trained to interagency wildland fire standards. The same framework that informs Firewise USA community certification, Chapter 7A hardening, and Napa Communities Firewise Foundation coordination.