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Building a Sustainable Footprint: A Data-Driven Approach to Fire Safety in Canada’s Indigenous Communities

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CHASI is proud to maintain a longstanding partnership with the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council (NIFSC). The NIFSC supports Indigenous communities in the development of their internal capacity to enhance community safety and resiliency. As part of this partnership, CHASI is pleased to amplify their articles on our blog.

CHASI’s collaboration with the NIFSC, and many of their other research work, can be found on our NIFSC Publications page. For questions about the NIFSC and their work, please visit their contact page.

Building a Sustainable Footprint: A Data-Driven Approach to Fire Safety in Canada’s Indigenous Communities

By Len Garis and Mandy Desautels

Across Canada, the challenge of providing effective and timely fire services to Indigenous communities is a complex one, often complicated by vast geographical distances, limited resources, and unique community needs. As a result, the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council (NIFSC) has embarked on an innovative initiative to establish a regional sustainable footprint for fire services, using an approach that prioritizes responsiveness and strategic resource allocation. The foundation of this new strategy is a comprehensive Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analysis, which moves beyond traditional site selection to a data-driven model that directly addresses the real risks faced by these communities.

The Problem of Responsiveness in Fire Safety

Responsiveness is the most crucial performance indicator for any emergency service. In the context of fire safety, this means not only having the right equipment and trained personnel but also ensuring they can reach those in need as quickly as possible. When considering fire services for Indigenous communities, this challenge is magnified by the dispersed nature of the population and the potential for long travel times. The NIFSC has documented in the report “Siting of NIFSC Regional Centres Through GIS Analysis,” uses GIS as the primary tool to tackle this issue head-on. The goal is to identify strategic locations for new regional centers that would enhance the NIFSC’s ability to respond to natural or human-caused disasters and emergencies.

The GIS analysis is built on a two-pronged approach that ensures a holistic view of the problem. The first approach focuses on the people who will need the service. This means that the locations are chosen not simply based on their central geographic position but on the actual risks and needs of the communities. The analysis incorporates a recent risk assessment from the University of the Fraser Valley’s Community Health and Social Innovation (CHASI) Hub, which provides data on the “Proportion of the Population at Risk” (ENPAR). This data is used to weight the spatial statistics, ensuring that the selected sites are as close as possible to the areas with the highest risk.

The second approach centers on the efficiency of service provision itself. It uses GIS to measure and minimize the total road distance required to travel from a potential regional center to all other areas within a cluster of communities. By combining these two approaches, the GIS model successfully identifies optimal sites that are not only geographically central but are also optimized to be close to the people who are most vulnerable. The report found that this method of integrating risk assessment early in the process did not significantly compromise the travel distance, proving the validity of a needs-based approach.

A National Footprint: From GIS to Ground Operations

The GIS analysis was applied to Indigenous communities across Canada, grouped into provincial or regional clusters. This process yielded a list of candidate sites for regional centers, offering a national blueprint for the NIFSC’s future infrastructure.

  • Alberta: The analysis in Alberta identified four distinct clusters and four flagship candidate sites: Fort Vermillion 73B, White Fish Lake 128, Bit Horn 144a, and Piikani 147. The report notes that the distribution of at-risk populations in Alberta is highly skewed, making the clustering method particularly effective in identifying sites that prioritize need.
  • Atlantic Provinces: Due to the fewer number of Tribal Council areas in the region, a single regional center was deemed necessary. The analysis identified Cambridge 32 as the optimal location, which scored in the top ten for shortest total road distance among 50 possible locations.
  • British Columbia: With almost half of all data points in the study located in British Columbia, the province was divided into six clusters. The selected sites—Gitzegukla 1, Nak’azdli, Yawaucht 11, Okanagan 1, Lakahahmen 11, and Comox 1—were found to be comparable to, and in some cases better than, other unselected sites in terms of total road distance. The key takeaway is that the sites chosen through cluster analysis can reach those in need more effectively.
  • Manitoba: The study in Manitoba initially considered four clusters but settled on three for more reliable results. The GIS analysis identified Cross Lake 19E, Fisher River 44, and Pine Creek 66A as the candidate sites. For two of these clusters, the sites with the highest need were also the ones with the shortest distances to cover, demonstrating a strong correlation between risk and optimal location.
  • Ontario: With the second-highest number of Tribal Council areas after British Columbia, Ontario was divided into three clusters. The analysis identified English River 21, Moose Factory 68, and Christian Island 30A as the most sensitive locations for a center based on the needs of the at-risk population.
  • Quebec: The GIS analysis in Quebec identified Mashteuiatsh and Wemotaci as the candidate sites for a province-wide center.
  • Saskatchewan: Three clusters were identified in Saskatchewan, with Four Portages 157C, Mistawasis 103, and Peepeekisis 81 being selected as the flagship sites.

Beyond Location: A Holistic View of a Sustainable Footprint

The GIS analysis does not stop at geography and population risk. It also incorporates other critical factors that contribute to a truly sustainable footprint for fire services. The report uses GIS overlays to assess the proximity of candidate sites to broadband and internet service providers and their access to human resource capacity.

The inclusion of these factors highlights the forward-thinking nature of the NIFSC. In today’s interconnected world, effective emergency response relies on more than just roads and vehicles. The ability to communicate, coordinate, and access information instantly is paramount. By considering broadband access, the NIFSC ensures that the future regional centers will be equipped with the necessary digital infrastructure to support a modern fire service.

Furthermore, the overlay of human resource capacity, based on post-secondary training data, adds another layer of strategic planning. A regional center is only as strong as its people. By locating centers in areas with a higher capacity for trained personnel, the NIFSC can ensure a sustainable and capable workforce to manage and optimize the responsiveness of these new facilities. This foresight will be essential for the long-term success and growth of the program.

Conclusion: The Future of Fire Safety is Data-Driven

The NIFSC’s objective to create a sustainable regional footprint for fire services in Indigenous communities represents a significant leap forward in emergency management. By leveraging the power of GIS and data analysis, the NIFSC has moved from a reactive to a proactive model. It systematically identifies the most effective locations for regional centers by balancing the need to be close to at-risk populations with the practicalities of travel distance. The integration of factors like broadband and human resources further ensures that this footprint is not just a collection of buildings, but a resilient, interconnected, and sustainable network designed for long-term success. This data-driven approach provides a clear path to enhancing the responsiveness and effectiveness of fire services, ultimately leading to safer communities for all of Canada’s Indigenous people.

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. Contact him at lwgaris@outlook.com

Mandy Desautels is Chief Administrative Officer at the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council. Prior to joining NIFSC, she worked for BC Emergency Health Services and prominent NGOs. Contact her at mandy.desautels@indigenousfiresafety.ca