Firefighters from islands in the Pacific have joined the fight to contain wildland fires on the Mendocino National Forest. There are four fire crews – one each from Saipan, American Samoa, Guam and Hawaii – and they are trained by a cadre of experts from the US Forest Service’s Region 5 fire professionals who go to the South Pacific Islands each April. The cooperative program provides opportunity for the participants to gain wildland fire experience and is part of a grant offered by the US Forest Service, Region Five through its Fire and Aviation Management program. There also is a crew from American Samoa currently working with the Fulton Hotshots on fires in southern California.