The Tŝilhqot’in National Government (TNG) is distributing fire trucks to all six Tŝilhqot’in communities in the Cariboo Chilcotin to enhance local capacity for emergency response.
The fire trucks come after more than a decade of advocacy for recognition and support of the nation's inherent jurisdiction and traditional knowledge of emergency management. They directly address gaps in the nation's ability to respond to emergencies which were highlighted in a report produced following the 2017 wildfires.
"We are seeing the devastation that wildfires can have on communities right now across the provinces, said Nits’ilʔin (Chief) Otis Guichon, the tribal chief of TNG, in a May 21 press release. "Our hope is that these trucks can reduce the potential spread of fire within our communities."
The Fires Awakened Us report revealed how Tŝilhqot’in communities already short on resources saw a delay in receiving external support during the 2017 wildfires which sparked across B.C. It demonstrated how the communities did not have the adequate funding nor support to enable effective local emergency response leading to unnecessary strain, confusion and conflict in the midst of an emergency.
More than one million hectares of land in the province were affected by the 2017 wildfires. The fires which impacted Tŝilhqot’in communities represent 63 per cent of that total.
The report calls for a restructuring of emergency preparedness and response practices led by the nation and grounded in land and community.
Former Tribal Chief Joe Alphonse played a key role in the nation's advocacy towards this and signed the 2018 Collaborative Emergency Management Agreement (CEMA) between the provincial, federal and Tŝilhqot’in governments. The agreement highlights the critical role of the Tŝilhqot’in experience in emergency response, and how this can be recognized and supported to ensure effective emergency preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation.
"These fire trucks are the result of our Nation standing strong and demanding change," said Guichon. "They are a direct outcome of our leadership’s commitment to assert Tŝilhqot’in jurisdiction over emergency management and protect our communities on our own terms."
All six Ford F550 trucks delivered to the Tŝilhqot’in communities have been retrofitted with a water tank and pump and are marked with the community's logo.
The project was supported with funding from Indigenous Services Canada.
