Nearly two dozen Indigenous teenagers recently completed a three-day firefighting boot camp in Vancouver, preparing for careers in wildland and urban firefighting.
The program, organized by the First Nations Emergency Services Society (FNESS), Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services, and the Vancouver School Board, offered hands-on training and theoretical lessons. Participants practiced using “jaws of life” cutters on vehicles, operating hoses, and breaching doors with axes. The sessions also included prayers from First Nations elders and cultural teachings to blend tradition with modern skills.
Exploring Career Paths
Students appreciated the break from traditional classrooms, while instructors aimed to highlight firefighting as a viable career option. “With youth of this age, they’re not sure what career paths they want to take. So we’re presenting options to them,” said Mattias Ballantyne, a fire services officer with FNESS. “A lot of them are showing a lot of initiative and enthusiasm for the career in firefighting.”
The boot camp covered both urban tactics and wildfire suppression techniques, opening doors to roles with the B.C. Wildfire Service. Vancouver hosts around 20 to 30 members in a peer support and resource group of Indigenous firefighters.
Participant Experiences
Nia Brown, a Grade 12 student from a Vancouver-area school, attended her second boot camp and broke down doors for the first time. One of seven females among 22 participants, she found the experience thrilling. “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 said. “Like there’s not like a huge difference between men and women in this.” Brown noted the program revealed wide-open opportunities ahead.
Grade 11 student Jaxon Brown left inspired to pursue 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 explained. “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.
