TORONTO -- A Saskatchewan woman hopes that her history-making turn as the first female president of the Aboriginal Firefighters Association of Canada will encourage more women and girls to take up the profession.
For more than 20 years, Michelle Vandevord has been a firefighter with the Muskoday First Nation, a Cree and Saulteaux community of about 1,800 people roughly 150 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon.
She told CTV’s Your Morning on Friday that her priority is the development of the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council to support First Nations communities across Canada in developing fire safety programs and capacity.
“We’re in the second year of project and it’s an Indigenous-created organization that serves Indigenous communities. Hence the motto for us, by us.”
She said Indigenous communities lack firefighting resources, educational programming and funding that makes fire response reactive rather than proactive. The goal of the fire safety council will be to close those gaps. She is also advocating for federal dollars to be specifically earmarked for on-reserve firefighting and prevention.
Indigenous Services Canada has not been keeping stats about fires on reserves since 2010, so Vandevord said that will be another priority.
Vandevord, who is also associate director for Saskatchewan First Nations Emergency Management, said she got into firefighting more than 20 years ago at the urging of a friend, a former fire captain in Muskoday.
“Somehow he saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. So I went out to my first firefighting meeting and the rest is kind of history.”
But she also credits her ancestors.
“I have very strong values that were handed down to me from my grandmother and my mother for volunteering in my community. So a lot of it goes back to them and honouring them and keeping their values alive in my family.”
This summer, the first all-female crew participated in the National Firefighting Competition and Vandevord, a mother to three daughters, says she sees many women in fire schools now. When she started, she was among just a few.
“By doing what I’m doing every day volunteering, I hope I am inspiring more females. They’re desperately needed. All over Canada we’re seeing a huge decrease in volunteer numbers for fire departments. So I encourage more females to look at their fire departments.”
Troy Bear, chief of the Muskoday Volunteer Fire Department, said Vandevord is upbeat and optimistic even during stressful calls. More women are joining, but the sector is still dominated by men, he said.
“Having both males and females on the fire department is a huge asset, depending on if we’re treating female victims or kids,” Bear said.
Ivan Bear was the chief of the Muskoday department for 34 years. He helped Vandevord when she first started as a firefighter, and said he’s proud of her accomplishments.
“It’s nice to see a woman, plus a woman from Muskoday, at that level.”
-With files from Jayda Taylor, CTV Saskatoon
