The Calgary Fire Department has launched a training camp for local Albertans

The Calgary Fire Department, in partnership with the City of Calgary's Office of Indigenous Liaison, will launch a fire camp for Indigenous Albertans from Treaty 7 territories in April.

The camp focuses on giving locals hands-on firefighting skills, including how to put out a fire and use fire hoses and sprinklers, how to use tools on a fire truck, and how to walk through an invisible and smoky burn house. , extricating patients from vehicles, learning basic medical response skills and undergoing firefighting physical training.

The goal, said Calgary Fire Chief Steve Dongworth, is to encourage local residents in Southern Alberta to consider firefighting as a career.

“We really want to give Indigenous youth, whether they're First Nations, Métis, urban Indigenous or Inuit, an opportunity to experience what it's like to be a firefighter if they live in Treaty 7,” he said.

“I'm sure not all of them want to be firefighters, but we hope some of them will be.”

The camp's model, she said, will be similar to other camps and initiatives run by the department, such as Camp Courage for Female Firefighter Recruits, which aims to encourage girls and young women to consider careers as firefighters, paramedics, and paramedics. , and police officers and the CFD cadet program.

Work to increase local community participation in the Calgary Fire Department

Chief Dongworth said the fire department has had a deep relationship with the city's Office of Local Public Relations, including having a former CFD member join that team.

“We have worked to have a very significant presence on National Truth and Reconciliation Day and we always have fire trucks. We actually stop the flag, the orange flag… and we are proud to be a part of this ceremony every year,” he said.

He said the department has also done innovative work to break down barriers to indigenous smoke-emitting rituals indoors, including fire codes that may prevent them from occurring.

“We're trying to develop that cultural sensitivity to allow that to happen with the right precautions. We have done our job to better represent the community we serve,” said the chief.

This is not the first time Chief Dongworth CFD has held a camp like this, having previously held a camp for Indigenous firefighters living in Northern Alberta, but this will be the first time the program has been held annually.

“We want to see some of these people come back as Calgary firefighters because they will be strong members of the community, which is the goal of our cadet program and the other youth programs that we do. But if we help other agencies, specifically, recruit firefighters who are in the reserves like Tsutina on our border… I think that would be good, too,” he said.

The camp is currently recruiting up to 24 people who are under the age of 18 and live in the 7th zone prior to the start of the camp.

The training is scheduled to take place on April 26-28.

For more details on eligibility requirements or to register for camp, visit www.calgary.ca/our-services/fire/indigenous-camp.html.