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Flashpoint blog A level playing field – Part 2 |
| Written by Peter Sells | |
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In my previous blog, I discussed how the Canadian
government does nothing to level the playing field among communities that can
afford top-notch fire protection and those that cannot. My thanks to those who
kept the discussion going. This time I would like to recognize that there are
fire service organizations across Canada that aren’t willing to simply accept
the status quo – organizations that pull themselves up by the bootstraps and
strive to meet their challenges despite having little or no budget and, in some
cases, no fire protection infrastructure.
In 2002 it was my privilege to be invited to speak to a regional fire conference in Moose Factory, Ont. The conference attracted volunteer firefighters from the predominantly Cree communities across the James Bay region of Ontario and Quebec. The level of commitment of the participants was among the highest I have witnessed. To travel the distances that some of these people had done and take part in difficult training sessions, all on their own time and without expectation of remuneration, spoke volumes. These were servant-leaders within their communities, people who were willing to show the way through service and self sacrifice. Regional conferences for volunteer firefighters take place across the country. Most are self funded, run on a shoestring budget and staffed by volunteers. I can’t let FireCon in Thunder Bay go unmentioned as a great example of a well-run and well-attended regional event. A colleague described for me a program run by the Métis Nation of Alberta, in which Métis youth are sponsored into a mentorship course that prepares them to apply for firefighter positions. Other First Nations communities have, or are in the process of developing, similar initiatives. This got me surfing a bit, and I found out about a team of wildland firefighters in B.C. who call themselves the Red River Rangers. Since 2003, Métis candidates from all over B.C. compete for one of the 20 elite positions in a process that tests their leadership skills, physical fitness, safety, experience and attitude. I also discovered the Beetle Battlers, a group of Métis wildland firefighters in Alberta who fight fire in the summer and mountain pine beetles in the off season. According to the regional president of the Métis Nation of Alberta, “These people are unique. They were born in the bush, grew up in the bush and know the bush and that’s what makes them so good at their job. Not everyone could do their job.” I think the point is that not everyone shows that level of commitment to leveling the playing field for their community. So the task at hand for this blog is to trumpet examples of people or organizations that have stepped up to the plate. Let me start by pointing out that the Canadian Volunteer Fire Services Association, in partnership with Medteq Solutions CA, announced a $1 million online training grant program last week. Here is a link to the announcement: www.medteqsolutions.ca/28401.html Not only are these organizations taking steps to level the playing field for volunteer fire services, the grant program requires that applicants agree to completing the training to which they receive access. Benchmarks must be met or the grant is removed and awarded to another applicant. In other words, the partnership offering the grants is saying “We are willing to help you out, but you must be willing to show your commitment.”
A level playing field if ever there was one.
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