{"id":2319,"date":"2026-07-31T12:20:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T19:20:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/chasi\/?p=2319"},"modified":"2026-07-31T12:20:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T19:20:17","slug":"indigenous-youth-and-fire-safety-a-community-story-about-risk-resilience-and-the-need-for-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/chasi\/2026\/07\/31\/indigenous-youth-and-fire-safety-a-community-story-about-risk-resilience-and-the-need-for-support\/","title":{"rendered":"Indigenous Youth and Fire Safety: A Community Story About Risk, Resilience, and the Need for Support"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u00a0National Indigenous Fire Safety Council<\/a>. 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<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n

CHASI\u2019s collaborations with the NIFSC, and many of their other research works, can be found on our NIFSC Publications page<\/a>. For questions about the NIFSC and their work, please visit their <\/a><\/em>contact page<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Indigenous Youth and Fire Safety: A Community Story About Risk, Resilience, and the Need for Support<\/strong><\/h2>\n

By Len Garis & <\/em>Mandy Desautels<\/em><\/p>\n

Across Canada, fire-related injuries and deaths continue to affect families and communities, but the impacts are not evenly distributed. Indigenous communities face higher rates of residential fire-related mortality, and within those communities, children and youth are disproportionately affected. This reality has been documented by coroners, fire services, and national statistical agencies, and it reflects deeper structural challenges \u2014 from housing conditions to limited fire service capacity \u2014 that shape everyday life in many communities.<\/p>\n

Recent work by the BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit (BCIRPU) and the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council (NIFSC), including proposed but currently unfunded research, has drawn attention to an important truth: Indigenous children and youth are not only vulnerable to fire-related risks, they are also uniquely positioned to help identify hazards and strengthen safety within their homes. As recent community-based fire-safety research has emphasized, \u201cfire safety begins within the home, and from their perspective, children\/youth are in an ideal position to identify unique areas of concern, implement change, and reinforce fire safety education.\u201d<\/em> This perspective is central to understanding how fire prevention can evolve in ways that are culturally grounded and community led.<\/p>\n

Ontario\u2019s Office of the Chief Coroner has repeatedly highlighted how fire affects young people differently. Their reviews show that children and youth under 15 face a fire\u2011fatality risk two to three times higher when smoke alarms are missing or not functioning. Many of these incidents occur at night, when escape is more difficult and early warning is essential. Overcrowding, aging electrical systems, and limited awareness of escape routes all contribute to the heightened risk. These patterns are not unique to Ontario \u2014 they echo across the country.<\/p>\n

Statistics Canada\u2019s Canadian Coroners and Medical Examiners Database (CCMED) adds another layer to the story, though it is important to be clear about what the dataset captures. CCMED records deaths investigated by coroners and medical examiners, and its national findings show that Indigenous fire-related fatalities occur at younger ages than those of non\u2011Indigenous people. The broader picture of injury \u2014 including severe burns requiring hospitalization \u2014 comes from a Statistics Canada\u2013commissioned report that examined both mortality and morbidity among First Nations, M\u00e9tis, and Inuit people. In British Columbia, earlier analyses reported that between 2007 and 2011, fire-related mortality among Indigenous people was four times higher than among non\u2011Indigenous people. Together, these findings illustrate how fire risk intersects with the lived realities of Indigenous families and why community\u2011driven approaches remain essential.<\/p>\n

The NIFSC has been steadily building a foundation for community-driven fire prevention, but one of its most promising ideas \u2014 a youth-focused study designed to understand how children perceive fire risks in their homes \u2014 remains proposed but unfunded. The intent behind the study is simple: to listen to young people, to understand how they see safety, and to give them tools to speak about hazards adults may overlook. This direction aligns with the NIFSC\u2019s broader effort to make fire safety more accessible and relatable, including the introduction of its new mascot, https:\/\/indigenousfiresafety.ca\/en\/torch-the-turtle<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Torch the turtle was developed as part of a broader evidence\u2011informed strategy to help Indigenous youth feel more connected to fire\u2011safety learning and more confident engaging with safety messages.<\/strong> Early feedback from communities suggests that Torch is already helping younger children feel more comfortable engaging with fire\u2011safety conversations, pointing out hazards, and asking questions. The proposed youth study would deepen this work, giving the NIFSC the evidence it needs to understand how children interact with safety messages, how mascots and storytelling shape learning, and how youth voices can be woven into community fire\u2011prevention strategies. Without funding, the study remains an unrealized opportunity \u2014 but its potential impact is clear in every community where Torch has already begun to spark curiosity and conversation.<\/p>\n

One of the most promising approaches already in practice comes from the VOICES methodology \u2014 a youth-centred, community-based participatory model developed through partnerships with Indigenous communities. VOICES blends Indigenous oral storytelling with photomapping, giving children and youth the tools to document their environments, identify hazards, and share their insights with community leaders. In Akwesasne, youth used photography and narrative mapping to highlight unsafe areas, and their findings led directly to improvements. This is a powerful example of how youth engagement can translate into real-world action.<\/p>\n

The structural factors that elevate fire risk in Indigenous communities are complex. Many homes rely on older electrical systems or alternative heating sources. Overcrowding can make escape more difficult. Smoke alarms may be inconsistent or absent. Remote communities often face longer response times and rely on underfunded volunteer fire departments. Fire safety education may be infrequent or not tailored to youth. These conditions do not reflect a lack of care or awareness \u2014 they reflect decades of underinvestment in infrastructure, services, and prevention.<\/p>\n

This is why sustained support matters. Communities across the country are working hard to strengthen fire safety, but short-term grants and pilot projects often end before programs can be fully implemented or evaluated. Researchers have long noted the lack of formal and longitudinal evaluation of fire\u2011prevention initiatives in high\u2011risk groups, emphasizing the importance of working directly with communities to understand what is effective over time. Without long-term investment, communities cannot build the continuity needed to maintain smoke alarm programs, expand youth engagement, or strengthen fire department capacity.<\/p>\n

The VOICES Fire Safety model offers a way forward. By integrating youth perspectives into fire safety planning, communities can identify hazards that adults may overlook, build intergenerational learning, and reinforce safety practices within households. The proposed integration of VOICES into the NIFSC Fire Safety Toolkit would give communities a practical, culturally grounded method to engage young people in prevention efforts. This integration would help ensure that youth voices are not only heard but embedded in community-wide strategies.<\/p>\n

Strengthening fire safety in Indigenous communities is not about crisis language or sweeping national declarations. It is about recognizing the realities families face, valuing the insights of children and youth, and supporting community-led approaches that have already shown promise. It is about ensuring that fire departments have the equipment and training they need, that smoke alarm programs are consistent and well-resourced, and that youth engagement is not a one-time event but an ongoing part of community life.<\/p>\n

Most importantly, it is about acknowledging that proposed research \u2014 including the youth-focused work envisioned by BCIRPU and NIFSC \u2014 requires stable funding to move from concept to practice. Without investment, communities cannot build the momentum needed to sustain change. With it, they can strengthen fire safety in ways that reflect their culture, their priorities, and their future.<\/p>\n

Indigenous children and youth have already shown that they can identify hazards, influence decision-making, and contribute to safer homes and communities. Their voices are not an add-on \u2014 they are essential. Supporting them, and supporting the communities working to keep them safe, is a practical and achievable step toward reducing fire-related injuries and deaths across the country.<\/p>\n

Authors\u00a0 <\/em><\/h3>\n

Len Garis is director of research for the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council,<\/em> Ret.<\/em> Fire Chief for the city of Surrey, B.C., Research Associate \u2013 University of the Fraser Valley, associate scientist emeritus with the B.C. Injury Research and Prevention Unit. Contact him at lwgaris@outlook.com<\/a>.<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Mandy Desautels <\/em>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 <\/em>mandy.desautels@indigenousfiresafety.ca<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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\u00a0National 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 … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":232,"featured_media":2321,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[339,340,329,330,326,386],"class_list":["post-2319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research","tag-firefighting","tag-indigenous-communities","tag-len-garis","tag-mandy-desautels","tag-nifsc","tag-youth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/chasi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2319","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/chasi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/chasi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/chasi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/232"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/chasi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2319"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/chasi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2319\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2322,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/chasi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2319\/revisions\/2322"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/chasi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2321"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/chasi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/chasi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/chasi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}