Baby Yoda Brings Smiles to West Coast Firefighters

 

Firefighters in the western United States have a new force on their side: Baby Yoda.

A 5-year-old boy from Oregon and his grandmother gave a Baby Yoda figurine to a donation¹ center for firefighters on September 12. With it was a note that read, "Here is a friend for you in case you get lonely."

Since then, Baby Yoda has been to four wildfires in two states. The creature has flown in helicopters, tested people's temperatures for signs of the disease² COVID-19, and even "used the Force" to move a firefighting tool.

A Facebook page called "Baby Yoda fights fires" has been documenting his trips and spreading smiles far and wide. More than 30,000 people and counting are following the page as he travels from crew to crew.

It is unbelievable how one small action "can create a wave of kindness," said Sasha Tinning. The 54-year-old Oregon woman saw the Baby Yoda while buying things to donate to the firefighters. Her grandson, Carver, was with her at the time.

"I turn around and this Baby Yoda is just looking right at me" and he was so cute, Tinning told The Associated Press. She said to her grandson, "Maybe we should take this to the firefighters.'"

The boy agreed and said that the creature could be their friend. "And I thought, ‘Everyone needs a friend, especially now,'" Tinning said. She wrote a note to that effect to the firefighters and her grandson signed it.

The note is still with Baby Yoda today, safely inside a small plastic bag on his back. Also on the note is the telephone number of Tyler Eubanks, the horse dentist organizing donations³ to the firefighters. She presented Baby Yoda to them and is now operating the Facebook page.

As the firefighters take pictures of Baby Yoda's travels, they send Eubanks the pictures so she can put them on Facebook. The pictures have brought smiles to a lot of locals.

Jacki Wittman lives in Columbia City, Oregon. On the Facebook page, she recently wrote that she looks for new posts several times during a normal day.

Diane Arzente also watches the page. She wrote, "Baby Yoda and a little boy are spreading so much love and happiness all over ... Keep the force going!"

Tyler Eubanks cannot believe the reaction.

She said she thinks our troubled times helped fuel Baby Yoda's popularity⁴. "They're having fun and it's taking stress out of a very dark situation."

Wildfires in the western U.S. have burned millions of hectares, destroyed homes and killed people, including firefighters.

Firefighters have the difficult job of walking through rural⁵ areas and forests, digging fire lines and working 16-hour days. And they are away from their families for weeks.

For them, Baby Yoda is more than just a plaything.

He has been lifting people's spirits, said Sergeant⁶ Jaebyn Drake, a firefighter with the Oregon Air National Guard. He put an American flag on Baby Yoda's head.

"A lot of people on my crew, I showed them the note and everything and they just loved it," Drake said. A few people even started to cry. "It just really meant a lot to us and it was really emotional⁷ for a lot of people."

Drake said it was extra special for him as a longtime Star Wars fan who also loves The Mandalorian television show. Baby Yoda first appeared on that program, and quickly became a big hit on the internet.

TJ Ramos is an air tactical group supervisor⁸ with the Oregon Department of Forestry⁹. He has taken "selfie" pictures with Baby Yoda in his helicopter. And he took Baby Yoda on a flight over Oregon's Holiday Farm Fire on September 21.

Ramos remembers when he got to announce to crews at the fire's helicopter base that Baby Yoda had arrived. By then, the gifted figurine was famous among all the fire crews.

You could immediately see everyone feel a little better. "Some smiles came on some straight faces and it was a different day," Ramos said. He said it was "just a lift to everyone" and "added almost a connection to home life."

Baby Yoda is now so in-demand after his trips through Oregon and Colorado that fire crews from other states and Canada have asked that he join them.

Words in This Story

figurine – n. a small figure or model of a person or creature made of plastic, word or another material

page – n. one section of a Web site that is found at a single address

cute – adj. having a pleasing and usually youthful¹⁰ appearance

bag – n. a container made of thin that opens at the top and is used for holding or carrying things

dentist – n. a person whose job is to care for people's teeth

post – n. a message, photo or video on social media

stress – n. a state of mental tension¹¹ and worry caused by problems in your life, work, etc.

tactical – adj. of, relating to, or used for a specific plan that is created to achieve a particular goal in war, politics, etc.

1 donation   

n.捐赠，捐献，捐助；捐赠物

参考例句：

• She made a personal donation to the fund.她以个人名义向基金会捐款。
• Then next big donation of musical instruments came from Germany.第二笔音乐乐器的大型捐助来自德国。

2 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

3 donations   

n.捐赠( donation的名词复数 )；赠送；捐款；捐赠物

参考例句：

• The hospital receives a good deal of money in donations. 这家医院收到捐赠来的大笔款项。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The charity is completely reliant on public donations. 这一慈善团体完全依靠公众捐款。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 popularity   

n.普及，流行，名望，受欢迎

参考例句：

• The story had an extensive popularity among American readers.这本小说在美国读者中赢得广泛的声望。
• Our product enjoys popularity throughout the world.我们的产品饮誉全球。

5 rural   

adj.乡下的，田园的，乡村风味的

参考例句：

• He lived a rural life.他过着田园生活。
• We left the city for a rural home.我们离开城市，去农村安家。

6 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

7 emotional   

adj.令人动情的；易动感情的；感情(上)的

参考例句：

• Emotional people don't stop to calculate.感情容易冲动的人做事往往不加考虑。
• This is an emotional scene in the play.这是剧中动人的一幕。

8 supervisor   

n.监督人，管理人，检查员，督学，主管，导师

参考例句：

• Between you and me I think that new supervisor is a twit.我们私下说，我认为新来的主管人是一个傻瓜。
• He said I was too flighty to be a good supervisor.他说我太轻浮不能成为一名好的管理员。

9 forestry   

n.森林学；林业

参考例句：

• At present, the Chinese forestry is being at a significant transforming period. 当前, 我国的林业正处于一个重大的转折时期。
• Anhua is one of the key forestry counties in Hunan province. 安化县是湖南省重点林区县之一。

10 youthful   

adj.年轻的，有青春活力的

参考例句：

• Exercise will keep you youthful.体育锻练会使你充满活力。
• The boy looked very youthful.这孩子看起来岁数很小。

11 tension   

n.(紧张)状态；拉(绷)紧；张力，拉力

参考例句：

• I could feel the tension in the room. 我可以感觉到房间里的紧张气氛。
• Relaxaion is better than tension. 缓和比紧张好。