BC announces extra funding for small fire departments
The Province of BC has announced $5 milion in extra funding for equipment and training for smaller volunteer and composite fire departments and First Nations communities.
Rubberneckers make first responders’ jobs more dangerous
First Nation needs to build forest fire fighting capacity
The Tsilqhot’in First Nation has released a review of the 2017 wildfire season. The review makes 33 recommendations for improvements in training, infrastructure and funding.
Richmond BC conference addresses first responder mental health
The B.C. First Responders’ Mental Health Committee, chaired by WorkSafe BC, recently brought around 350 people together in Richmond BC to work towards removing the stigma of mental illness often experienced by first responders struggling to deal with extraordinary stress.
Some BC First Nations carry huge debts after wildfires
Many BC First Nations that stayed behind to try to stop wildfires from burning through their communities are still waiting to be reimbursed by the provincial and federal governments. Some First Nations are carrying debts in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Under new rules BC first responders won’t need to prove PTSD is work related
Changes to the BC Workers Compensation Act would designate PTSD and other mental disorders as “presumptive conditions” so firefighters, police officers, paramedics, sheriffs and correctional officers will no longer have to prove their PTSD is job-related.
SIGNS – short film “A First Responder’s Battle”
Natural Gas for Transportation for First Responders
Click here for an information sheet on natural gas transportation for first responders, courtesy of Fortis BC.
First responders need to de-stigmatize mental suffering
Andy McDonald, a veteran firefighter and first responder community consultant, told attendees at Benefits Canada’s 2017 Mental Health Summit that the first responder culture of silence is making it harder for that community to get help when they need it.
- Click here to read more.
Federal government to create indigenous fire marshal’s office
Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett has committed to resume tracking fire-related deaths in First Nations communities and to establishing an indigenous fire marshal’s office to oversee data collection and spearhead fire prevention. At least 173 people have died in fires on First Nations reserves since the federal government stopped tracking such deaths in 2010.