Nearly two dozen Indigenous teenagers recently completed a three-day firefighting boot camp in Vancouver, gaining skills for potential careers in wildland and urban firefighting.
Program Overview
The intensive training, organized by the First Nations Emergency Services Society (FNESS), Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services, and the Vancouver School Board, combines theoretical lessons with hands-on demonstrations. Participants practiced using jaws of life cutters, hoses, and axes to break down doors, while First Nations elders led prayers and shared cultural teachings.
Mattias Ballantyne, a fire services officer with FNESS, highlights the program’s goal. “With youth of this age, they’re not sure what career paths they want to take. So we’re presenting options to them,” he states. “A lot of them are showing a lot of initiative and enthusiasm for the career in firefighting.”
The boot camp also covers wildland firefighting techniques, opening doors to opportunities with the B.C. Wildfire Service. Vancouver hosts around 20 to 30 Indigenous firefighters in a peer support and resource group.
Student Experiences
Nia Brown, a Grade 12 student from a Vancouver-area school, attended her second boot camp. She broke down doors for the first time and found it thrilling. As one of seven female participants out of 22 students, she appreciates the inclusive environment. “It’s really nice to have women around. And … it doesn’t feel like there’s that much of a difference, which I love,” she says. “Like there’s not like a huge difference between men and women in this.” Brown adds that the experience shows opportunities are available everywhere.
Jaxon Brown, a Grade 11 student, expresses strong interest in pursuing firefighting. “I just don’t really want to be sitting a lot when I’m at my job. I want to be very active and I want to do something that isn’t really on paper,” he explains. “And also another thing about firefighting is I like see that there’s like a really good community.”
Aboriginal Community Career Employment Services runs similar boot camps in various formats throughout the year.
