Fire safety is not a right in Canada: just step foot onto a First Nations community

By Guest Opinion

Fire safety is not equally accessible to all who live in Canada. In some First Nations, there is no access at all. 

Fire death rates are four times higher in First Nation communities. Rates are even more disparate in youth.

If your town suddenly had fire death rates five times higher than the neighbouring town, what would your reaction be?

Having spent over 25 years in fire and emergency services, I have seen the devastating effects of fire fatalities. Society may move on, but the families, communities, and first responders often do not. It is disturbing to see the higher fatality rates in our First Nation communities.

The fire trucks you see on the streets in your neighbourhood are funded through municipal tax dollars and operated locally and are normally one of the most expensive parts of the budget. Should a municipality choose to operate a fire department, the costs are born unto the town. 

But First Nations communities cannot afford modern fire services and are reliant upon federal funding, which is far below what municipalities spend. About half of Ontario First Nations have no fire service at all.

While firefighting services are paid by cities, most fire safety legislation, like building codes and fire codes meant to prevent fires, is provincial. Yet First Nations communities have no ability to enforce fire safety legislation and keep builders and landlords accountable. Skimpy funding means First Nations can’t offer the same extent of public education, prevention, and emergency response that municipalities can afford. 

With fire safety in Canada being wildly disparate, it’s fair to ask: is fire safety a right?

DO CANADIANS HAVE THE RIGHT TO A FIREFIGHTING SERVICE?

With a potential to perish in a fire at least five times higher than non-Indigenous populations, fire safety on First Nations must improve. But buying more fire trucks  cannot singularly improve the social determinants of health that underpin the disparities faced by First Nations.

Fire safety must be a collaborative effort of government, industry and fire services to prevent fires through risk reduction and protect us from the harmful effects of fire. Collaboration is important because improvements into social determinants can improve fire safety. 

Within First Nations, improvements in education, economics, environment, social services, healthcare, infrastructure, and governance can all reduce the risks of fire.

Of high priority is addressing unsafe housing. Improving both the quality building materials and quantity of housing stock will reduce the threat of fire. 

More fire trucks will not improve a housing crisis. 

Fire trucks without year-round access to water are limited in their use. Improving water infrastructure improves quality of life and firefighting efforts. The list carries on, connecting education access and public fire safety education, health improvements and engaging first responders in emergency health response. 

Fire safety is not a right, but it is a part of the social safety net. While governments have worked to protect Canadians from the risks of fire, they accept a lower standard for First Nations. 

What is our collective tolerance for the disparity in fire deaths?

I ask Canadians: Do First Nations have agency in fire safety? Bringing together how municipal fire safety is more robustly funded than First Nations fire safety, the impacts of social determinants of health on fire safety, and the challenges we face enforcing prevention rules, it’s clear the answer is no. 

The Haudensaunee call it kanata, and the Anishinaabe call it kwiinwin. It means community. Our First Nations communities will continue to suffer until change occurs.