Volunteer firefighters from across Canada gather in Sask. for indigenous-led fire safety conference
A four-day conference in Prince Albert aimed at teaching fire prevention and safety helped prepare volunteers for what they might face in the field.
The 2022 Fire Safety Conference and National Firefighting Competition is hosted by the Saskatchewan First Nations Emergency Management and co-hosted by the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council, the Canadian Volunteer Fire Services Association, and Indigenous Services Canada.
Blaine Wiggins, Senior Director of Indigenous Fire Marshall Service, said there were many challenges First Nations communities face when it comes to fire prevention.
“Each province has a Fire Prevention Act but they’re not applicable on reserve. There’s no required building codes. There are policies for building codes for funding from the federal government but no enforcement, no standard of building codes, no safety codes,” said Wiggins.
“So when the fire department comes and does a safety inspection, that just doesn’t happen on First Nations communities.”
Wiggins said this conference will help address fire safety issues in the community by having the volunteers train with firefighters and help with fire prevention more than fire suppression.
“Because of the nature of indigenous fire service, they’re volunteers so this is one of the few opportunities that they get to come and participate in professional development – addressing issues within the community, doing some training.”
Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte of the Prince Albert Grand Council highlighted the significance of this event to First Nations.
“It’s a very important part of, like I said, community safety and also public safety in the communities in that prevention with structural fires, house fires. And also when there is a fire, that the volunteer firefighters respond quickly,” said Hardlotte.
The conference will end on Saturday, October 1st, with a firefighting competition that has been happening for more than a decade.
The winning team will have their names put on the national trophy.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.