This article is part of a series of posts led by CHASI Research Associate Len Garis, who has been a long-time partner of CHASI through his work with the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council. His guest blog posts explore a wide range of topics related to firefighting and firefighters in Canada. You can read all of his guest articles at this link.
CHASI’s collaborations with the NIFSC, and many of their other research works, can be found on our NIFSC Publications page. For questions about the NIFSC and their work, please visit their contact page.
What Works Best: Proven Fire Prevention Strategies for Indigenous Communities
By Len Garis & Mandy Desautels
Across Canada, fire departments know the truth better than anyone: prevention saves more lives than suppression ever will. Yet for many Indigenous communities, the fire problem remains stubbornly persistent — and disproportionately deadly. As the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council (NIFSC) evaluation bluntly states, “Indigenous communities bear a disproportionate burden of residential fire-related deaths and injuries compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts.”
This isn’t a marginal difference. In some regions, residential fire mortality is up to 10 times higher for Indigenous people than for the general population. The causes are complex — aging housing stock, overcrowding, limited access to fire safety equipment, and socio‑economic challenges — but the solutions are not mysterious. Fire prevention works. And thanks to the NIFSC’s evidence review, we now know which interventions work best.
For fire chiefs, fire marshals, band councils, and frontline firefighters, this article cuts through the noise and focuses on the highest‑impact, evidence‑supported strategies that reduce fires, injuries, and deaths in Indigenous communities.
The Fire Burden: A Preventable Crisis
The evaluation highlights a stark reality: Indigenous people experience 2.5 times more residential fires and 3.2 times more burn‑related hospitalizations than other Canadians. The ripple effects are devastating — trauma, displacement, property loss, and long-term health impacts.
But the report also emphasizes a critical truth: “Residential fires are both predictable and preventable.”
Fire departments across Canada have proven this for decades. When prevention is done well — consistently, personally, and with community trust — fire numbers drop. The challenge is not figuring out whether prevention works. It’s deciding which programs to invest in first.
What Works Best: The Top Four Evidence‑Backed Interventions
After reviewing hundreds of studies, the NIFSC evaluation identifies four programs with the strongest evidence of reducing fire incidence, injuries, and deaths. These are the programs fire departments should prioritize.
1. Home Safety Assessments: The single most effective fire prevention tool available.
If Canadian fire departments could only choose one intervention, this would be it. Home safety assessments — delivered in person, inside the home — consistently reduce fire hazards, increase smoke alarm presence, and improve safety behaviours.
The evaluation cites a systematic review of 98 studies showing that home safety interventions “increase the proportion of families with working smoke alarms, fire escape plans, and electrical safety.”
Key outcomes include:
- Fewer incidental home fires
- Fewer fire injuries
- More working smoke alarms
- Better safety behaviours
- Improved identification of structural hazards
Why does this work so well? Because firefighters see what others miss. They spot the overloaded extension cords, the space heater next to bedding, the missing smoke alarm, the unsafe stove setup, the damaged wiring. And they can fix problems immediately.
For Indigenous communities, home safety assessments are even more powerful because they build trust, respect cultural context, and allow firefighters to address risks that are invisible from the outside.
Bottom line: If you want measurable results, start here.
2. Smoke Alarm & Carbon Monoxide Installation Programs The backbone of modern fire prevention.
Smoke alarms save lives — but only when they’re installed, maintained, and understood. The NIFSC evaluation shows that smoke alarm installation programs reduce fire injuries and deaths across multiple jurisdictions.
One cohort study found that homes receiving smoke alarm installations experienced a 68% lower fire‑related death and injury rate. Another evaluation reported an 80% reduction in residential fire injury rates in the intervention group.
But the evaluation also highlights a critical nuance: simply handing out smoke alarms doesn’t work. As one randomized controlled trial concluded, “giving out smoke alarms did not reduce fire-related injuries, deaths and fires responded by fire departments.”
Installation matters. Education matters. Door‑to‑door delivery matters.
For Indigenous communities, the most successful programs involve:
- Firefighters installing alarms directly
- Teaching families how to test and maintain them
- Replacing expired or non-functioning alarms
- Ensuring alarms are appropriate for the home layout
Bottom line: If your department isn’t doing door‑to‑door smoke alarm installation, you’re leaving lives at risk.
3. Home Escape Planning: The difference between survivable and fatal fires.
Escape planning doesn’t prevent fires — but it prevents deaths. In communities with multi‑generational households, high occupancy, and older homes, escape planning is essential.
A randomized controlled trial cited in the evaluation found that families receiving escape planning education “reported more behaviours for escaping from fires.” Another study showed increased likelihood of having a fire escape plan four weeks after intervention.
Escape planning is especially important in homes where:
- Bedrooms are far from exits
- Mobility challenges exist
- Children or elders may need assistance
- Heating systems or cooking areas create higher ignition risk
Firefighters know that in a real fire, seconds matter. Escape planning gives families those seconds.
Bottom line: Escape planning is low-cost, high-impact, and essential for survivability.
4. Electrical Safety Education: A critical intervention for aging housing stock.
Electrical fires remain one of the leading causes of residential fire fatalities. The evaluation cites evidence showing that electrical safety education “improves fire preparedness in homes.”
This is particularly relevant in Indigenous communities where:
- Wiring may be outdated
- Extension cords are heavily used
- Space heaters are common
- Overcrowding increases electrical load
Electrical safety education doesn’t replace the need for structural repairs — but it dramatically reduces high‑risk behaviours.
Bottom line: Electrical safety education is a necessary complement to home assessments and smoke alarm programs.
Programs with Emerging Evidence
Several NIFSC programs show promise but currently lack strong evidence of reducing fire injuries or deaths. These include:
- Cooking safety
- Heating safety
- Senior & elder safety
- Wood heat safety
- Youth fire‑setter intervention
- Seasonal safety
- Fire-Smart & Indigenous ecology
- Traditional fire knowledge
These programs improve knowledge — and knowledge matters — but they should be layered after the top four interventions are in place.
The Winning Formula: Multi‑Faceted, In‑Person, Community‑Driven
One of the most important findings in the evaluation is that multi‑faceted interventions outperform single‑strategy programs.
The report states: “The review highlighted the effectiveness of multi-faceted fire safety and prevention interventions… particularly when conducted in collaboration with community partners and implemented through in-person approaches like door-to-door visits.”
This aligns perfectly with what Canadian fire departments already know:
- Prevention works best when it’s personal
- Trust matters
- Relationships matter
- Community engagement matters
For Indigenous communities, the most successful fire prevention programs are those that:
- Are delivered in person
- Are culturally grounded
- Build long-term relationships
- Address both behavioural and environmental risks
- Are sustained, not one‑off events
Conclusion: Focus on What Works
The evidence is clear. If fire departments want to reduce fire injuries and deaths in Indigenous communities, they should prioritize the interventions with the strongest empirical support:
- Home Safety Assessments
- Smoke Alarm & CO Installation
- Home Escape Planning
- Electrical Safety Education
These programs deliver measurable, repeatable, and significant reductions in fire risk. They are adaptable, scalable, and proven across diverse communities.
The NIFSC evaluation reinforces that message with rigorous evidence — and provides a clear roadmap for departments ready to act.
Authors
Len Garis is director of research for the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council, Ret. Fire Chief for the city of Surrey, B.C., Research Associate – University of the Fraser Valley, 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.