In 2007, the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) released a report on “Fire Prevention in Aboriginal Communities”. Within the paper it was noted that the “First Nations per capita fire incidence rate is 2.4 times the per capita rate for the rest of Canada. The death rate is 10.4 times greater; the fire injury rate is 2.5 times greater; and the fire damage per unit is 2.1 times greater” (CMHC, 2007, p.1). These statistics alone identify Aboriginal communities as being at a greater risk for fires. It was also noted in the report that “many Aboriginal communities tend to have a low number of smoke detectors”.
Centre for Public Safety and Criminal Justice Research
