Call Made for Funding for On-reserve Firefighting

Call Made for Funding for On-reserve Firefighting

Wednesday, October 22, 2003 at 12:57

The fire protection officer for the Prince Albert Grand Council says the federal government must get its head out of the sand when it comes to funding fire departments on reserve.

Richard Kent explains that First Nations are responsible for running their own firehalls, and as a result, they

have to rely on volunteers to put out fires and respond to other calls.

He says the P.A.G.C. is very proud of the work the volunteers do year after year, but government funding is needed to make sure properly-trained staff are hired and retained.

Kent notes that a recent study found that people are four times more likely to die in fires on-reserve than anywhere else in Canada.