SERB IS CALIFORNIA’S HERO: Our Steva leads the firefighting team, reports from the front lines: We will win, we will save people! (VIDEO)

The southern part of the US state of California has been the scene of an unprecedented wildfire for days, devouring vast expanses, forests, and populated areas, entire cities. A large number of Serbian expatriates live in California, and Serbian Times, in search of the latest information from the scene, spoke with some of them.

Of course, the first question was about their safety…

So, we first called one of the Serbs who is on the front lines, Steva Stevo Slepčević from Los Angeles, whom we found in the field, fighting fires with people from his company that specializes in emergency response.

“I just got home from ground zero, from the front line, took a quick shower, and headed back before sunrise to continue helping people in the affected areas. The scale of destruction caused by the wildfires throughout southern California is unlike anything I’ve seen in the 35 years I’ve been doing this job, more specifically, natural disasters,” Steva said at the beginning of the conversation.

On the front line of the disaster: Steva with his team from Strategic Response Partners

He adds that it is uncertain when the wildfire will be contained, but emphasizes that firefighters on the ground and in the air are working tirelessly.

“The courage and dedication of these firefighters is awe-inspiring – they are doing everything they can to minimize the damage, but the resources they need are completely depleted. Unfortunately, the response of the authorities in Los Angeles and California, who should be supporting them, is insufficient, and we are seeing the consequences. Please keep these firefighters and all those affected in your thoughts and prayers. It will be a long and difficult road to recovery, but I believe in the strength of the people here. Thank you for your support. Greetings to all Serbs!” said Steva Slepčević from the company Strategic Response Partners at the end of the conversation.

FIREFIGHTERS ARE HEROES: Slepčević with his special unit

Slepčević is a hero among American Serbs, and in all of America, because together with his special forces he has been on the front lines of numerous natural disasters in the past few decades, floods, hurricanes, fires…

His last major undertaking was during Hurricane Milton, which hit Florida and the east coast of the United States in October, when he led a team that saved many lives and mitigated the damage of one of the strongest hurricanes to ever hit this continent.

NOT TO BE FORGOTTEN: Steva Slepčević and Ranko Ristić (right) with Ted Baifield, son of an American pilot rescued in Serbia during Operation Halijard

Incidentally, Steva was born in America, and his parents came to California after World War II. He is very active in the Serbian community and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Halijard Foundation, an organization that preserves the memory of the rescue of American and Allied aviators from Serbia during World War II.

Slepčević is also a very influential member of the Republican Party, and his best friend is Bobby Kennedy, the head of the Make America Healthy Again organization and the man who will head Trump’s medical and health cabinet.