During training organized by the Grand Council of Prince Albert, fires were started to allow novices, but also long-time volunteers, to familiarize themselves with the ways of fighting fires.
The objective is to prepare these volunteers to respond well to an emergency situation, such as a forest fire that breaks out very close to their communities.
Calvin Charles has been a volunteer firefighter for several years. His first experience was in 2015 when his community, Stanley Mission First Nation, was nearly destroyed by fire.
With this training that I needed, I now feel capable of putting out a fire
explains Calvin Charles.
When it comes to wildfires in remote areas, First Nations are often the first to feel the heat, smoke and face danger.
According to the federal government, 80% of First Nations are in areas prone to forest fires.
So many communities are preparing for what they think will be a catastrophic summer season.
This group becomes familiar with using water from a half-frozen lake to put out fires, because in isolated areas, firefighters often use available water resources to put out flames.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Sam Samson
Access to training, a challenge for remote communities
In Saskatchewan, there are different levels of firefighting training.
Currently trained volunteers will not fight the fire from the sky, but they can help control flames in areas already sprayed by air tankers.
During the training, they practice, among other things, building protection zones using pickaxes, because machines often cannot access these remote areas.
Access to firefighting training has been a long-standing issue for First Nations.
With the First Nations Fire Protection Strategy, 2023 to 2028, Ottawa and other groups hope that communities will have minimal, standardized firefighting training by 2025.
However, some communities do not even have basic infrastructure.
Rural and isolated communities don’t even have access to training. Many communities don’t even have access to the internet or cell phone service
deplores the chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak.
We don’t all live in downtown Toronto.
In its budget this year, Ottawa has allocated $175 million to help First Nations cope with the fire season.
The Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, wants to see more investment in firefighting training, equipment and infrastructure in Indigenous communities.
Photo: The Canadian Press / Patrick Doyle
Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak says she hopes to secure more funding to provide new equipment for First Nations firefighters.
In addition to the funding challenge, these remote communities face other obstacles.
Jason Wigton is the Tribal Council’s Director of Emergency Technical Services Kee Tas Kee Now, which cover five First Nations. Four of them were forced to evacuate due to a forest fire last year.
Jason Wigton explains there are no paved roads in most of these communities.
There are no water resources like fire hydrants
he adds.
Getting a custom truck takes 18 to 24 months. I ordered trucks last November which will not be ready until spring 2025.
Last year, wildfires prompted more than 90 evacuations in Canada’s First Nations communities, many of them in northern Alberta.
This year, Ottawa is giving every community in this province money to hire an emergency response coordinator. The funding is planned for a period of three years.
The position could be crucial for the Athabasca Chipeywan First Nation, whose members were forced to flee their homes last year.
With information from Sam Samson
