USFA LODD: American Samoa Firefighters On-Duty Death Notification 04.30.2020

After responding to a residential fire, Captain Mike Tipoti, 44, and Captain Allen Velega, 50, were returning to the firehouse when the apparatus they were in crashed at a sharp curve after coming down a mountain road. Captain Tipoti, who was driving the apparatus, was pronounced deceased at the scene. Captain Velega was pronounced deceased shortly after his arrival at the hospital emergency room.

  

Our condolences to the Tipoti and Velega Families & Friends, American Samoa Fire Bureau Division of the Department of Public Safety, and to all affected by Deputy Fire Chief Ciocca's passing.

   

To date, 30 and 31 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2020. Year-to-date monthly and annual USFA firefighter fatality reports are posted online at U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) Fatality Notices page.

(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.