Some of you may already know that I've been involved in the fire community since 1990, starting in Tucson, Arizona. I was a volunteer firefighter when I was there doing a series, The Young Riders. It's where I met my fire chief, (and, now, one of my best friends) Danny Martin. Danny worked airport fire then later went on to manage massive wildfires: 400,000+ acre fires.

I came to Danny in 2014 to ask if he thought I could play Eric Marsh in Only the Brave. He had never read a script before but did, then, for me. Afterward, he looked at me and said, "You're the only person to do it who will truly understand."

I'm a fifth generation Californian. We live and we die here, and part of living here involves fire. My daughter was six days old when the Wolsey Fire happened. We were in Malibu. We left after walking outside to the high winds and seeing the wall of smoke above us. Once we hit PCH, the traffic was already backed up to Pt. Dune from Venice Beach. Something told me to head north into the night of black smoke created by an already totally out of control fire. My wife was yelling because it looked like we were driving into hell. We made it to the other side. I don't know what made me do that with a wife and a six day old in the truck, but we got lucky.

Some people don't get so lucky, and so we help them: as neighbors, as friends, as fellow Californians, or simply because we can. Greed stratches at our psyches everyday. "How can I make more than them?" But when it comes down to it, if we don't help our fellow man, woman and child in crisis, then we can honestly say that we have no value in this life at all. We are not here to just exist. We are here to create and share.

My hope is that we can, with this money, help transition people from incomprehensible trauma to a clear enough head to help the rebuilding of so many people who have lost everything. That's the hope. People need help and firefighters need support.

My kids and I stop every time a firetruck rolls by -- no matter where, and no matter what we are doing -- to wave. This is why. Times like these. Thank you for being part of the solution.

Kathryn and Josh Brolin (The Brolin Family Foundation)
Foundations and Funds: LA Fire Department Wildlife Emergency Fund, Baby 2 Baby, Cal Fire Foundation, World Central Kitchen and Core.