As they start with the basics and work their way up, participants in this three-day crash course in North Vancouver, B.C., learned the ins and outs of fighting fires.
But for First Nations Emergency Services Society, the real goal of this training is to light a spark and hopefully draw new recruits to a career in firefighting.
Although the course was open to any interested teenagers, Indigenous youth were the key demographic.
The three-day course could possibly be the start of some long, meaningful careers.
“We feel that the First Nations youth can be the future — the stewards of the land moving forward and able to protect their homes and communities,” said Nathan Combs, a fire services manager.
“They know the land, they know the culture.”
With the number of volunteer firefighters on the decline, and those still in the ranks getting older, the knowledge is ready to be passed on.
And the demand only continues to grow.
For hundreds, if not thousands of years, Indigenous nations and groups have been making the land safer for everyone through cultural burning practices.
If done properly, the burnings help thin out B.C. forests, getting rid of the wildfire fuels, while releasing nutrients into the environment.
The hope is by opening the door at the training course, it will ignite something for Indigenous youths, ultimately, bringing them back to their lands.
“We’re the next generation of stewards of the land,” said Mavic Thorpe-Shaw, a trainee.
“It’s important to remember that as we move forward.”