Broncos S Justin Simmons Teams Up With USAA & Denver Fire Dept to Build Wildfire Awareness

Justin Simmons continues his amazing work in the Denver community to help stamp out wildfires.

Denver Broncos All-Pro safety Justin Simmons spent the morning of July 11 with Denver firefighters at a USAA-sponsored wildfire prevention event. Afterward, Simmons sat down with Mile High Huddle to discuss what it was about and some other Broncos topics. 

The event featured the Denver Fire Department and invited military guests to educate the public on proper preparation and mitigation of wildfires. This occasion was an important learning experience since nearly 90% of wildfires are human-caused, and knowing more about preventing these disasters can only diminish their frequency.

Simmons tweeted about his day. 

#ad I teamed up with @USAA and @Denver_Fire to help raise awareness about wildfire prevention.

Visit https://t.co/XJxRUtr71i for more information on how to stay safe during wildfire season. @broncos pic.twitter.com/ISd7l390V2

— Justin Simmons (@jsimms1119) July 11, 2023

The event was labeled 'Prevent Defense,' which was apropos for Simmons in how we can all contribute to the prevention of wildfires. In my conversation with Simmons, he compared the event title to the NFL.

"One of the biggest takeaways, just like in the NFL, when you are talking about the Prevent Defense and all the things you have to prepare for, it's all about preparation," Simmons said. "It's the same thing with wildfires, and we just need to be able to do our part. I thought about going over the Prevent Defense every week, week in and week out; it's almost monotonous. It becomes the same thing over and over, but for the one time it happens throughout the year, you're so thankful because you repped it over and over, and you are so prepared you win that game, or you win that half. It's the same thing with the prevention of wildfires."

What happens next for the Broncos? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second and sign up for our free newsletter and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

Simmons also said there is plenty of information on USAA.com for anyone who would like to learn more, offering tips such as "clearing your dry brush and clearing your grass, cleaning up your yard a little bit, even those simple steps can help." The All-Pro also found that having a "go bag" ready is an important safety tip in case you need to evacuate quickly.

On the subject of the Broncos and their outlook this year, Simmons offered a message to fans.

"2022 is in the past," Simmons said. "2023 is a whole new team, a whole new set of objectives, a whole new work ethic, and for me, that gets me excited, and I'd imagine that would get everyone else excited as well." 

New Broncos head coach Sean Payton brings proven championship experience, so fans should be excited for what is to come in this season. Hopefully, under the tutelage of Payton, the Broncos can come together as a team, prepare for the upcoming season in earnest, and be ready to take the season by storm. 

"I know that OTAs was competitive and it was fun. Obviously, we didn't have pads on so I know [training] camp is going to be a little bit more physical like it always is," Simmons said. "But I know Coach [Payton] knows what he's doing. He's done it for a long time. He's been super successful at what he does. So us, as players, we've just go to buy in and trust the process of knowing that whatever we're doing, there's success at the end of the tunnel. We've just got to buy in and execute at the highest level on our end and trust everyone else. It's really what football is all about. It's why it's the ultimate team game. You can't do it on your own. You've got to be able to trust—when you're out there on the field, trust all other 10 guys to get their jobs done and trust the coach and X, Y, and Z. So that's what I'm looking forward to. I'm looking forward to building that. We've already started it, obviously, but I'm looking forward to really building that—the layers on that—in camp." 

Watch the entire interview on Mile High Huddle's YouTube channel and learn more about Simmons' outlook on the 2023 Broncos.

---

Follow Mile High Huddle on Twitter and Facebook.

Subscribe to Mile High Huddle on YouTube for daily Broncos live-stream podcasts!