Just after Thanksgiving, 2016, raging wildfires whipped through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, fueled by 90 mph winds. Over a dozen utility linemen ran headlong into the inferno that people were desperately running away from in order to keep the power on in key locations, and dozens more utility employees worked around the clock in support of those in the field. Because, as it turns out, the water pumps fire fighters need to save lives and livelihoods don’t work right without electricity.

Allen Robbins, the Superintendent of Sevier County Electric System (which covers the National Park, about 30 miles from Shelton Group’s headquarters), and I go way back. He was one of Shelton Group’s early utility clients over 20 years ago, back when he was in charge of marketing for the utility. And he was the guy in charge of the first responders to the fire during this devastating event that ultimately claimed 14 lives.

There’s a lot being written right now about the wildfires in California, the lives lost there and what the utility’s role in that was. For an alternate version, a story about how a utility can be a life saver, a supporter of customers wracked with grief, and a beacon of hope for a community struggling to find its footing again, please buy and read Trial by Fire.

I had the honor of being asked by Allen to help him write this book. We both donated our time to get the story told and out there as a way of raising money for people still struggling to recover. Proceeds from your purchase go directly to help those families. And, I promise, the story itself will go directly to your heart.