Monday, August 13, 2018

Samoan firefighters are back in California

FILE / 2017
The American Samoa firefighters are called to help California put out its wildfires.

AMONG THE 13,000 firefighters trying to extinguish California's wildfires, are 17 American Samoan firefighters from the National Park of American Samoa, which is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean.


It is getting to be an annual trip for the Samoans. Ten of the crew of 17 are veterans of previous firefighting efforts in California. 

Last year, an inspiring video of the Samoan firefighters singing as they emerge from the forest went viral.

The U.S. Forest Service commented on its Facebook page that the crew worked hard on the Helena/Fork and Buck fires and received an award from the incident commander for their hard work. California firefighters have seen the crew in action and praised their hard work, passion and camaraderie.

Singing for Samoan fire crews is more than just a way to pass the time. 
According to 'The Samoan Way,' Samoans grow up singing in church and in school. Around 98% of the population is Christian so singing is a huge part of the culture. There's a sense of unity and pride when singing Samoan hymns. 

The words of the song, posted here, were translated by James Stevenson to read:
Fa’afetai i le atua lena tatou tupu ai ina ua na alofa fua ia te tatou uma Tali: ia pepese ia pepese aleluia faafetai ia pepese ia pepese aleluia faafetai Faafetai i lona alo lena afio mai luga le ua fai ma faapaolo mai le puapuaga Tali: ia pepese ia pepese aleluia faafetai ia pepese ia pepese aleluia faafetai Faafetai i le agaga le fesoasoani mai e manuia talosaga atoa uma mea e fai Tali: ia pepese ia pepese aleluia faafetai ia pepese ia pepese aleluia faafetai
In English, the song loosely translates to: Thanks to God. We grow when He has compassion for all of us. Answer: sing hello songs thank you to sing hello thanks thank you Thanks to his son who comes from above who is a savior from the trouble… Answers : sing alleluia songs thank you to sing songs aleluia thanks Thank you very much for help to succeed in all the answers to all the [problems/trouble]… Answers: answer singing alleluia thank you sing songs thank you thank you
In case you haven't seen it, here's the video from last year:



With more than 300,000 acres burned, the Mendocino Complex Fire is the largest in California’s history. Drought-like conditions due to climate change, dry winds and temperatures in the triple digits have hampered firefighting efforts.


Almost 700,000 acres total have been burned in California so far this year; in which 2,300 National Guardsmen as well as scores of non-violent inmates have joined in to put out the fires. Thousands of homes have been destroyed, and thousands have sought shelter in emergency shelters.
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