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Fire Safety in First Nations Communities: Valuing Lives Through Prevention and Suppression
By Len Garis and Mandy Desautels
Fire poses a significant and disproportionate threat to First Nations communities across Canada, resulting in a human toll far exceeding that experienced by non-Indigenous populations. While the economic costs of fires are substantial, the true devastation lies in the lives lost, the injuries sustained, and the profound impact on families and communities. This article will explore the critical value of early detection and automatic suppression systems in preventing these tragedies, emphasizing a cost-benefit perspective that prioritizes the sanctity of human life over mere monetary considerations. The National Indigenous Fire Safety Council (NIFSC) has been at the forefront of this critical work, providing essential tools and insights to guide evidence-based decision-making in fire prevention.
The Disproportionate Human Cost of Fire
Statistics reveal a stark reality: fire-related mortality and morbidity are significantly higher among Indigenous peoples in Canada, particularly First Nations individuals and Inuit, compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts. From 2011 to 2020, Indigenous people accounted for 32% of the 2,200 fire-related deaths in Canada, despite representing a much smaller proportion of the total population. The mortality rate from all fires for First Nations people between 2011 and 2018 was five times higher than that of non-Indigenous people. For those living on reserve, the age-standardized fire-related mortality rate was over 10 times higher.
Beyond the statistics, each fire death represents a profound loss—a family shattered, a community grieving, and a future unfulfilled. Injuries, too, carry a heavy burden, leading to physical pain, long-term disability, and emotional trauma. Factors contributing to this disparity include inadequate housing, often in need of major repairs, limited access to working smoke alarms, underfunding of fire services, lack of legislation mandating adherence to building and fire codes on reserves, lower socioeconomic status, and overcrowded living conditions. These systemic issues compound the risk, making fire prevention a matter of urgent public health and safety.
Early Detection: The Life-Saving Power of Smoke Alarms
Early detection is the first and most crucial line of defense against residential fires. Working smoke alarms provide vital early warning, allowing occupants precious time to escape. Despite their proven effectiveness, a significant challenge in First Nations communities is the consistent availability and functionality of smoke alarms.
While approximately one in eight (12%) residential fire-related deaths among Indigenous people occurred in residences explicitly identified as without a working smoke alarm (a proportion similar to non-Indigenous deaths), it is critical to note a substantial data gap: for 80% of fire-related deaths among Indigenous people, the status of smoke alarms (whether present, not working, or not applicable) was either not specified or unknown. This significant percentage of undetermined performance underscores the challenges in fully assessing the role of smoke alarms in fire fatalities and points to a critical need for improved data collection. Nevertheless, the higher overall incidence of fires in First Nations communities means that even within the known data, the issue of non-working or absent smoke alarms magnifies the risk.
Initiatives by organizations like Kidde, in partnership with Indigenous fire safety councils and local fire departments, are working to bridge this gap by distributing smoke alarms and providing fire safety education. The National Fire Protection Association highlights that working smoke alarms can double the chances of escaping a home fire safely. This simple, affordable technology holds immense power in preventing fatalities and injuries, underscoring its invaluable benefit beyond any monetary cost. Culturally relevant programs and community-led initiatives are essential to ensure the effective distribution and maintenance of these life-saving devices. Addressing the data gaps surrounding smoke alarm performance is crucial for a more complete understanding of fire safety needs and for tailoring effective interventions.
Automatic Suppression: The Unseen Hero of Residential Fire Safety
While smoke alarms provide the alarm, automatic suppression systems, primarily residential sprinklers, actively combat fires, often extinguishing them or containing them to their point of origin before firefighters even arrive. Studies consistently show that automatic sprinkler systems significantly reduce fire-related casualties, minimize fire spread, and lessen the burden on fire departments. In fires where sprinklers were present, the death rate per 1,000 reported residential fires was more than three times lower than in fires without sprinklers. Sprinkler systems are highly effective, confining fires to the object, part of the room, or room of origin 88.4% of the time, compared to 65.1% in buildings without sprinklers.
Despite their proven efficacy, most building codes across Canada do not mandate sprinkler systems for all residential constructions, particularly in existing structures. Implementing these systems, especially in high-risk First Nations communities, could drastically alter fire outcomes. The investment in residential sprinkler systems, while having an upfront cost, provides an undeniable return in terms of lives saved and injuries prevented. This benefit extends beyond the immediate occupants, reducing the risk for responding firefighters and preserving community infrastructure.
A Cost-Benefit Analysis Centered on Lives Saved
The traditional approach to cost-benefit analysis often heavily weighs financial gains and losses. However, when it comes to fire safety in communities, particularly those facing elevated risks like First Nations, the framework must shift to unequivocally prioritize the value of human life. The cost benefit decision tool (prepared by Dr. Joseph Clare and Pierre Robinson for the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council) explicitly aims to help determine the likely costs and benefits of commitments to fire prevention and suppression, demonstrating the capacity for decision-makers to manipulate the tool’s assumptions to best fit their specific budgetary and safety requirements. This tool implicitly understands that “benefit” in this context extends far beyond property value or insurance premiums.
Concepts like the “Life Quality Index (LQI) method” and “Societal Willingness to Pay (SWTP)” offer frameworks for integrating the value of life into cost-benefit analyses. The LQI method considers the increase in expected life in good health as the measure of health and safety benefit. This approach acknowledges that the prevention of a fatality or a serious injury has an immeasurable value to the individual, their family, and society as a whole. While putting a monetary figure on a life saved can be ethically challenging, these frameworks allow for a societal valuation of safety that goes beyond direct economic costs. For instance, studies have explored the financial implications of fire, including suppression costs, property losses, and even smoke-related health costs, but the human element remains paramount.
The NIFSC’s work, including the cost-benefit decision tool, serves to highlight that investments in fire prevention (like smoke alarms and residential sprinklers) and fire suppression (firefighting resources and mutual aid agreements) yield benefits that far outweigh their financial outlay when human lives are the primary consideration. For example, studies have shown that increasing fire protection services in a community can lead to net savings through reduced insurance premiums, even if only a minority of households purchase insurance, and these benefits increase dramatically with the cost of replacement for housing and community size. However, the core insight remains that the most profound benefit is the avoidance of tragedy.
Challenges and Collaborative Solutions
Addressing fire safety in First Nations communities requires a multifaceted approach that acknowledges historical underfunding and systemic inequities. The First Nations Fire Protection Strategy (2023-2028), co-developed by the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) and Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), aims to enhance fire safety by addressing increased threats from climate change, renewing infrastructure, and promoting life-saving equipment like smoke alarms and home sprinkler systems. ISC provides annual funding for fire protection services, including capital investments for fire trucks and halls, operations and maintenance, and firefighter training.
Organizations like the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council (NIFSC), established by the Aboriginal Firefighters Association of Canada (AFAC), are Indigenous-led and work to eliminate loss of life, property, and critical infrastructure due to preventable emergencies. They develop culturally relevant programs, training, resources, and partnerships to ensure equitable access to fire safety services. The National Incident Reporting System (NIRS), managed by the NIFSC, collects fire incident data to identify risks, trends, and inform future education and infrastructure planning. These collaborative efforts are crucial for building resilient, self-sufficient emergency services that are tailored to the unique needs of each community.
Conclusion
The imperative to enhance fire safety in First Nations communities across Canada is undeniable. The disproportionately high rates of fire-related deaths and injuries underscore an urgent need for continued, strategic investment in proven prevention and suppression technologies. While financial considerations are part of any decision-making process, a true cost-benefit analysis in this context must place the immeasurable value of human life at its core. Early detection through working smoke alarms and automatic suppression via residential sprinkler systems are not just expenditures; they are investments in safeguarding lives, preserving well-being, and fostering resilient communities. By embracing a holistic view of benefit that prioritizes the sanctity of life, Canada can work towards a future where all its communities, particularly First Nations, are safe from the devastating impact of fire.
Authors
Len Garis is director of research for the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council, Ret. Fire Chief for the city of Surrey, B.C., associate scientist emeritus with the B.C. Injury Research and Prevention Unit, and adjunct professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice and associate to the Centre for Social Research at the University of the Fraser Valley. Contact him at lwgaris@outlook.com.
Mandy Desautels is Chief Administrative Officer at the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council, a project of the Aboriginal Firefighters Association of Canada. Prior to joining NIFSC, she worked for BC Emergency Health Services and prominent NGOs. Contact her at mandy.desautels@indigenousfiresafety.ca