Meet the Indigenous fire teams fighting to end the blazes in B.C. and beyond
Share
TORONTO -
Over this past week, Indigenous fire response teams in British Columbia have been critical in stopping flames, protecting property and guiding firefighters through difficult terrain.
But Indigenous crews across the country say governments have let too much of their intergenerational knowledge fall by the wayside.
Following a record-breaking heat wave, more than 200 wildfires have caused untold levels of destruction across British Columbia. Working alongside the BC Wildfire Service in stopping flames are volunteer fire teams made up of dozens of Skeetchestn Indian Band members whose sense of responsibility is “immense.”
“Everybody here is doing their absolute most. But most of us feel we're not doing enough,” said Joanne Hammond, who’s the director of Skeetchestn Natural Resources -- a group which normally looks after archeology, forestry and cultural heritage sites.
But during a crisis like this, they’ve been coordinating all emergency response in the area.
Volunteer Skeetchestn Fire Watchers track the path of fires and direct spots for firefighters to target.
Others have set up physical barriers otherwise called fireguards, which successfully steered the fires away from their reserve and the residences of nearby ranchers.
Using Indigenous expertise to tackle wildfire is THE WAY FORWARD. Props to @BCGovFireInfo crews on the ground for working stride for stride with Skeetchestn on the #SparksLake fire. https://t.co/tEEd077q88
— Joanne Hammond/SKEETCHESTN NR (@KamloopsArchaeo) July 7, 2021
And, early on, Indigenous fire teams evacuated the band’s reserve just northwest of Kamloops, as the Sparks Lake wildfires spread across nearly 400 square kilometers.
“They leave everything in our trust, in our care,” Hammond told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview. “They're trusting us to look after the entire community so they’ll have something to come back to.”
The Sparks Lake wildfire is seen from the air on June 28, 2021. (B.C. Wildfire Service)
The Sparks Lake wildfire is seen from the air on June 28, 2021. (B.C. Wildfire Service)
Kukpi7 Chief Darrel Draney told CTVNews.ca around 75 Skeetchestn members, staff, and local non-Indigenous people are “leading an unprecedented fire response,” which also includes ensuring water trucks are filled and protecting critical infrastructure serving the local area.
Members of his reserve are guiding and working with government front-line crews in installing rooftop sprinklers and clearing out potential ignition sources, such as dry vegetation.
“The combination of traditional knowledge and Western practices has been key to fighting this fire and will remain at the heart of our response,” Draney said in a press release.
“We believe this First Nations-led, locally informed fire response based in mutual care and cooperation must be a model for successful emergency management in the future.”
First Nations crews do not get the credit they deserve in fire management in Canada. Look at this hotspot map. They've literally stopped the fire at the #Skeetchestn reserve boundary. pic.twitter.com/qUHZW1zDWt
— Amy Christianson (@ChristiansonAmy) July 5, 2021
INDIGENOUS FIRE TEAMS 'DO NOT GET CREDIT'
Amy Christianson, an Alberta-based Métis fire research scientist with the Canadian Forest Service, agreed but felt “First Nations crews do not get the credit they deserve in fire management in Canada.”
Last week, she tweeted that sentence alongside a map of British Columbia, which showed how forest fires hotspots stopped just outside of the Skeetchestn reserve boundary. Christianson said Indigenous fire teams in rural, isolated areas are some of the most overlooked in terms of their impact.
Despite Skeetchestn Indian Band only having 350 people, a fifth of them stayed behind to help stop the fires.
“They really get organized very quickly because they have that kind of underlying knowledge and skills,” Christianson told CTVNews.ca, adding that this intergenerational knowledge is crucial in guiding firefighters to reservoirs and knowing which paths to avoid.
Some of the members of the Skeetchestn Natural Resources crew, some of whose expertise of the land has been critical in preventing the fires from spreading in the region.
“For me, and the communities I work with, there’s a real sense of pride,” she said, and even noted First Nations communities -- unaffected by wildfires -- such as the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nations, have stepped up by hosting wildfire evacuees on their land.
Christianson, who researches communities’ responses to fires, noted there was a similar lack of mainstream acknowledgement of how Indigenous fire crews Whitefish Lake First Nation 459 in Alberta fought to end wildfires there in 2011.
For Indigenous fire teams from across Canada, this lack of recognition is most disheartening on the government level. So some are in the midst of creating new status quos to better highlight their millennia-old knowledge.
'STEWARDS OF THE LAND'
Chad Thomas is the CEO of Yukon First Nations Wildfire -- a rotating group of around 80 Indigenous firefighters who are trained and spend six to four months at a time on the front lines tackling blazes.
“They're drawn to it because it's something that First Nations have been doing on their traditional territories for thousands of years,” Thomas, a member of the Tahltan First Nation in northern B.C. and southern Yukon, told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview.
He said many on his crew grew up “being taught how to be stewards of the land” after listening to stories of their grandparents, aunts or uncles who also fought fires.
Part of the reason Thomas started his organization, which hasn’t been asked to help in B.C., was because in rural Northern Canada, he feels prospective Indigenous firefighters can have more of a place to shine and hone their craft.
Member of the Yukon First Nations Wildfire. (Yukon First Nations Wildfire)
He said far too often, Indigenous fire crews like his aren’t listened to or face far too much resistance from government agencies.
For example, for decades, governments failed to listen to Indigenous knowledge keepers when it came to the need for prescribed burnings, which Natural Resources Canada acknowledges reduces the number of wildfires. Although, it’s a part of provincial and territorial policies now, Thomas said the fires are still too intense -- something Indigenous fire experts have been saying for years.
“When we don't control our forest, Mother Nature's going to let you know that it's upset,” Thomas said, explaining how his crew see their work as more of a legacy.
That’s why a huge part of Yukon First Nations Wildfire’s work involves codifying their intergenerational learnings so, “we will retain this knowledge as an organization and pass it on.”
STATUS QUO 'WON'T DO ANYMORE'
Brady Highway is a member of the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation in Saskatchewan who has fought more than 200 fires in his career. He said there’s a huge gap when it comes to governments directly partnering with Indigenous knowledge keepers and firefighters.
“It doesn’t really make sense for our Indigenous fire crews to get overlooked,” Highway told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview.
He explained that in his province of Saskatchewan, for example, rules put more value on certain types of formal firefighting experience over others. So what ends up happening is people who are the most knowledgeable of the land are only called in for clean-up or tertiary roles, Highway said.
So to help change this, Highway, a project manager for the Indigenous Leadership Initiative, is helping to grow and train a national network of Indigenous Guardians who can help in decision making for tracking and tackling fires, as well as issues involving land use, forest management or conservation.
“We depend on these landscapes to be healthy so it’s really important that we have a way of helping,” Highway said.
Hammond who’s coordinating Indigenous fire teams in B.C. agreed. She added that the status quo -- where Indigenous fire crews aren’t treated as true collaborators -- “won’t do anymore.”
She called for full-time First Nations liaisons within provincial bodies like BC Wildfire Service, so “that when the emergency happens, they are there.”
“You can’t just call on someone every three years and expect that to work,” Hammond said.
“First Nations communities are the experts at their land and how to look after it. And they need to be involved in a fairly formal and aggressive way in the fire response structure that provincial governments run.”
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
The federal government says new capital gains tax changes will only affect the rich, but some realtors say they are hearing from 'middle-class' cottage owners who worry they may have to sell before the rules come into effect on June 25.
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
A reluctant Donald Trump returned to a New York City courtroom Thursday as his hush money trial resumed at the same time that the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments in Washington over whether he should be immune from prosecution for actions he took during his time as president.
A Sydney bishop who was stabbed repeatedly in an alleged extremist attack blamed on a teenager has backed X Corp. owner Elon Musk's legal bid to overturn an Australian ban on sharing graphic video of the attack on social media.
A ship travelling in the Gulf of Aden came under attack Thursday, officials said, the latest assault likely carried out by Yemen's Houthi rebels over Israel's ongoing war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Iran's judiciary confirmed the death sentence of well-known Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi but added that he is entitled to a sentence reduction, state media reported on Thursday.
Ukraine worked Thursday to get much-needed new supplies of weapons and ammunition from a huge U.S. aid package to its eastern front line, where Russia was pressing forward with its efforts to take ground from outnumbered and outgunned troops.
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Ontario is still playing catch up on routine vaccinations that many children missed during the pandemic and public health officials are warning that it could take years to solve the problem.
It was a powerful morning at Regina's Conexus Arts Centre Wednesday, where the Lieutenant Governor hosted the annual Saskatchewan Prayer Breakfast and a provincial doctor told his story of survival from a deadly heart condition.
U.S. President Joe Biden signed legislation Wednesday that could ban TikTok in the U.S. while his campaign has embraced the platform and tried to work with influencers.
A new paper says a giant salmon that lived five million years ago in the coastal waters of the Pacific Northwest used tusk-like spikes as defense mechanisms and for building nests to spawn.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he's not going to comment on the future of TikTok in the United States, but his own government will continue to look out for Canadians' security.
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
In the last year, Tim Hortons has treated cottaging Canadians to a boat drivethru, revived its beloved Dutchie doughnut and launched flatbread pizzas. But perhaps its biggest surprise will come this summer.
The B.C. woman convicted of killing Reena Virk described the TV series dramatizing the notorious 1997 murder as disrespectful to the victim and her family.
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
New condo sales in the Toronto region dropped to the lowest quarterly total since the financial crisis in 2009 amid high interest rates and affordability issues, a new report has found.
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Honda executives are expected to announce today that the Japanese automaker is building an electric vehicle battery plant in Alliston, Ont., part of a $15-billion investment.
A made-in-China electric vehicle will hit North American dealers this summer offering power and efficiency similar to the Tesla Model Y, the world's best-selling EV, but for about US$8,000 less.
Tesla's first-quarter net income plummeted 55 per cent as falling global sales and price cuts sliced into the electric vehicle maker's revenue and profit margins.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
The ongoing battle over policing in Surrey took another turn Wednesday, as Mayor Brenda Locke shared details of an independent report she said shows a municipal police force would cost $75 million a year more than the RCMP.
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'
Nine-year-old Carter Vigh was having a great day last July 11, visiting a waterpark, enjoying a picnic lunch and playing soccer with other kids at a day camp run by his mother, Amber Vigh.
Ontario is still playing catch up on routine vaccinations that many children missed during the pandemic and public health officials are warning that it could take years to solve the problem.
The federal government says new capital gains tax changes will only affect the rich, but some realtors say they are hearing from 'middle-class' cottage owners who worry they may have to sell before the rules come into effect on June 25.
Former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi is expected to be the centre of attention as the first debate in the Alberta NDP leadership race is held Thursday night.
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is investigating following a shooting that happened earlier this month at the wrong residence in the Champlain Township.
The director of education for the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board says making sure elementary school students can attend classes close to home is an important part of making schooling in Ottawa more equitable.
A mother and daughter are speaking out after a Quebec man was sentenced to house arrest for years of domestic abuse. They were both physically assaulted by the mother's ex-partner and say the offender got off with another light sentence.
The Alberta government says it will pay nurse practitioners 80 per cent of what family doctors are paid – if they want to practice comprehensive primary care.
It was a powerful morning at Regina's Conexus Arts Centre Wednesday, where the Lieutenant Governor hosted the annual Saskatchewan Prayer Breakfast and a provincial doctor told his story of survival from a deadly heart condition.
A throwing star and crossbow were among the seizures by police as part of a drug trafficking investigation on George Gordon First Nation and in Punnichy, Sask. last week.
A Waterloo, Ont. teacher says she’s frustrated after learning the arthritis medication she depends on is no longer covered under her benefits plan and she'll have to switch pharmacies to avoid paying out of pocket.
A Saskatchewan woman who was taken for an involuntary mental health assessment is entitled to find out who had her committed, a provincial court judge has ruled.
International aircraft giant Boeing has made a multi-million dollar commitment to the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technology (SIIT) to help address shortages in the aviation industry.
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
The federal government says new capital gains tax changes will only affect the rich, but some realtors say they are hearing from 'middle-class' cottage owners who worry they may have to sell before the rules come into effect on June 25.
In the midst of a homelessness crisis, an influx of asylum seekers is putting additional pressure on London, Ont.’s limited number of permanent shelter beds.
Nine years after a London, Ont. man was shot to death in a botched robbery at his home, the man responsible for the shooting was given a prison sentence on Wednesday.
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
A 911 hang-up call has led to the arrest of two people in Chatham-Kent. Just after 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday, officers responded to an address on Bloomfield Road for the hang-up call.
A Windsor man convicted in a violent murder 20 years ago was successful in his ‘faint hope’ bid for an early chance at freedom after a jury agreed he should be given the chance to apply for early parole eligibility.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Honda executives are expected to announce today that the Japanese automaker is building an electric vehicle battery plant in Alliston, Ont., part of a $15-billion investment.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Nine-year-old Carter Vigh was having a great day last July 11, visiting a waterpark, enjoying a picnic lunch and playing soccer with other kids at a day camp run by his mother, Amber Vigh.
A Canadian sports economist is encouraging Canucks fans to enjoy the team’s playoff run, but cautioning against having big expectations around economic spinoffs.
Search and rescue crews have been called in after a vehicle belonging to a missing senior was located near a rural intersection outside of Kelowna Tuesday.
Major crime detectives in British Columbia are investigating a suspected homicide after a body was found in a remote area southeast Kelowna over the weekend.
The Ontario Provincial Police, in partnership with the Treaty Three Police Service, have charged a suspect with murder following a homicide in a remote northwestern Ontario community.
Newfoundlander Christian Sparkes has shot several films around his home province, but with his new psychological thriller 'The King Tide' he saw an opportunity to wander into one unique town that had eluded him over the years.