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CBC
21-07-2025
- General
- CBC
Indigenous communities face higher death rates from fires and lack of data leaves them vulnerable, says group
A report by the National Research Council of Canada (NRCC) confirms what many Indigenous communities have long known: the rate of death for house fires in Indigenous communities is higher than in non-Indigenous communities. The report, commissioned by the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council (NIFSC) and published earlier this month, found the rate of death was around 5 times higher for Indigenous communities. It drew data from the National Fire Information Database between 2005-2021, aiming to show the scope of fire risks in Indigenous communities and identify gaps in data collection. Arnold Lazare, Interim CEO of the NIFSC, said the findings validate decades of experiences from Indigenous communities. "For the last 30 years we've been tracking the anecdotal information and we knew that the death rate and injury rate was much higher on reserves than in mainstream," said Lazare, who is from Kahnawà:ke, just south of Montreal. "When we say it, people don't believe us." One of the biggest challenges, according to the report, is a lack of data which is a result of a lack of uniformity in reporting standards and jurisdictional regulations on required reporting of fire information. "A problem identified is half solved, right?" said Lazare. "There's a lack of data and that opens the situation up to interpretation and when you go to interpretation, things can get fuzzy." The federal government stopped collecting fire incident data in First Nations communities in 2010 in an effort to "reduce the reporting burden" on First Nations communities. A 2021 report from StatsCanada shows Inuit are 17 times more likely to die in fires than non-Indigenous people, where First Nations are roughly five times more likely to die and Métis people are twice as likely to die. Michelle Vandevord, a Cree woman from Muskoday First Nation in Saskatchewan is the first woman to serve as captain of the community's volunteer fire department and has 26 years experience as a firefighter and serves as the director of the Saskatchewan First Nation Emergency Management. "Being a firefighter on reserve and supporting the regional organization, we knew those numbers were going to be high," said Vandevord. Her community has had fire services for over 40 years, although she said she recognizes many other First Nations communities don't have on-reserve fire organizations and rely on outside help. "When there's a fire death on reserve, then all of a sudden there's all this attention for the community and what can we do to help…" said Vandevord. "'What can we do to support?' and that help should have come years earlier." She encourages communities to use data — including from Stats Canada and the NRCC — to apply for funding for fire prevention and services. "Nine times out of 10, when there is money for fire services on reserve, it's proposal driven," she said. But Vandevord said a lot of times these volunteer fire chiefs are just that: volunteers, working off the side of their desk while holding other titles, leaving little time for writing proposals. Lazare is hopeful to see more data being published but notes it's not a one-size-fits-all solution. He said that the funding available for fire prevention needs to be used in tailored approaches based on individual community needs. He also hopes that Indigenous communities report their fires using their National Incident Reporting System, and for communities to track and pinpoint fire trends and use that information to tailor to their fire prevention programs. "If we can get the communities funded to the programs that they need, then things will change," Lazare said. Lazare said Indigenous communities can reach out to the NIFSC for support. The organization offers fire department assessments, fire prevention program development and support for building fire safety programming. The NIFSC is set to meet with the Assembly of First Nations in September, where they hope the report will inform a renewed mandate and a new direction for fire safety efforts across Indigenous communities.
Global News
05-06-2025
- General
- Global News
Why are fire-related deaths higher in Indigenous communities?
Laura McComber's mind is more at ease. On Wednesday, the resident in the Mohawk community of Kahnawake, south of Montreal, had a smoke detector installed in her home, where her parents lived. It's her first one. 'There was never any alarm systems,' she told Global News. 'I don't think they had anything like that back in the day.' Fire officials estimate that only about half the homes in that community have smoke detectors, and that the smoke detector shortage also exists in Indigenous communities across Canada. 'Part of it comes down to education,' explained Arnold Lazare, Indigenous fire marshal for Canada. 'People don't knowingly not install smoke alarms. We found out that in many instances it comes down to economics where people have other priorities.' Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy It's why a coalition of private and and Indigenous groups have launched a pilot project to distribute and install more than 6,000 smoke alarms for Indigenous families across the country. They're distributing the alarms to 16 Indigenous communities, including Kahnawake, which is getting just over 500. Story continues below advertisement 'While [Indigenous Peoples] only make five per cent of the population in Canada, they make about 20 per cent of fire related deaths,' Ivanette Bonilla explained. She's chief communications & government relations officer for Kidde, the company providing the devices. 'There's a great need to raise awareness of fire safety education, but also access to working smoke alarms.' Lazare agrees. 'There was a fire in Kahnawake recently that the family didn't have a working detector,' he recalls. 'Their injuries are probably graver than what would've happened if they had a working detector.' Included in the pilot project is fire safety education, without which the distribution of equipment would not be as effective, officials say. 'That includes our tool kit,' said Bonilla. 'It has information on how to create a family escape plan so that everyone in the home knows what to do, including children.' The groups want to expand the project if this first phase goes well. Story continues below advertisement
Canada Standard
29-05-2025
- General
- Canada Standard
First Nations Firefighters Mobilize, But Deployment Barriers Remain
As Canada's wildfire season intensifies, Indigenous firefighters are mobilizing to protect their communities from both physical devastation and the psychological toll of evacuations. By May, several First Nations had already faced displacement. James Smith Cree Nation, about 160 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon, was evacuated earlier this month due to a fast-moving fire. Last weekend, smoke concerns triggered an evacuation order for Pimicikamak Cree Nation, 530 kilometres north of Winnipeg. On Wednesday, Manitoba declared a province-wide state of emergency "due to rapidly spreading wildfires and extreme fire conditions in northern and eastern Manitoba," CBC reports. Across Canada, Indigenous fire crews are expanding their ranks. Arnold Lazare, interim executive officer of the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council (NIFSC), told the Aboriginal People's Television Network (APTN) that 174 Indigenous youth have been trained and certified as Level Two wildland firefighters with funding from Natural Resources Canada. Another 256 are expected to be trained over the next two years. Experts say Indigenous youth fire training programs can be used as a model to prepare civilians in northern and remote regions as fires grow to scorch wider expanses. View our latest digests NIFSC's long-term goal is to establish a national Indigenous fire suppression team-a mutual aid system that could deploy to First Nations across the country, Lazare said. But jurisdictional barriers stand in the way, Lazare said, with no mechanism for provincial agencies to call upon First Nations firefighters. First Nations fall under federal jurisdiction, creating what he calls a "grey zone," similar to the military. As a result, trained Indigenous crews in Saskatchewan were unable to assist during recent wildfires, while international firefighters were brought in at considerable expense. Beyond the immediate physical dangers, wildfires and evacuations have profound mental health impacts on Indigenous communities. Evacuations can be re-traumatizing for Elders who experienced forced removals during the residential school era, as they are often relocated to dormitory-style accommodations reminiscent of those institutions, Lazare said. "The sad reality is that during an evacuation, we are taking people who would have been children 40 to 50 years ago, who are now Elders, and we're deporting them from the community." Children, too, are affected, as are single mothers or mothers with many children, Indigenous fire and emergency management specialist Michelle Vandevord, director of Saskatchewan First Nations Emergency Management, told APTN. "I just received a call from a community firefighter there, asking me to come to the school and talk to our children, because they're very afraid of fire now." Efforts are under way to mitigate these impacts. In Saskatchewan, a federal program provides air purifiers to Elders, enabling them to remain in their homes longer during smoke events, Vandevord said. And with wildfires being such disorienting events for First Nations, it is helpful when firefighters come from the local community or, failing that, from another First Nation, Vandevord added. "I think it's a great idea any time that you can see a first responder in yourself, not having to explain your situation or about your community, and having people responding to your community, who look like you, who talk like you." Source: The Energy Mix
