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The National Indigenous Fire Safety Council seeking inclusivity survey participants

Dec. 3 – The National Indigenous Fire Safety Council (NIFSC) and the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA) are asking for support in completing a short survey.

Their survey seeks to determine three main purposes: whether municipal governments and fire services in Canada have hiring policies to target specified employment equity groups; the proportion of identified Indigenous peoples, women, LGBTQ2, and visible minorities who are a part of the organization; and what challenges one might face in hiring members of designated groups.

The NIFSC is calling on industry leaders to help them identify these issues and share best information and practices. It is hoped the results of the survey will help fire services and Canadian municipalities develop robust hiring, retention and professional development programs targeted toward women, Aboriginal peoples (First Nations, Inuit or Métis), persons with disabilities, and members of visible minorities (other than Aboriginal people).

The NIFSC notes that all individual responses will remain confidential and only aggregated, summary data will be reported. No specific individuals, departments or organizations will be identified.

The NIFSC is Indigenous inspired, designed and led in collaboration with regional and national Indigenous communities, organizations, and leaders. Created by the Aboriginal Firefighters Association of Canada, the NIFSC aims to provide support to the broader fire services community for Indigenous Peoples.

The mandate and survey is intended to support Indigenous communities in the development of their internal capacity to improve community safety and resiliency, and the inclusion of Indigenous firefighters into the broader profession across Canada.