The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency says education, training and collaboration were key themes at the Indigenous Public Safety Conference held Oct. 24 to 27 in Saskatoon.
Hosted by the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council, the annual gathering brought together fire safety professionals, emergency responders, community leaders and knowledge keepers from across Canada to discuss Indigenous public safety.
SPSA President and Fire Commissioner Marlo Pritchard said the conference provided an opportunity for Indigenous leaders and public safety experts to share knowledge and strengthen partnerships.
“The Indigenous Public Safety Conference is an important opportunity to bring together Indigenous leaders, public safety professionals, emergency management experts, and community partners to share knowledge, strengthen relationships, and learn from one another,” said Marlo Pritchard.
Pre-conference training focused on incident command systems, basic fire suppression, cultural burning and fire and life safety accreditation.
Additional workshops explored fire prevention, emergency management, climate change and wildfire response, technology, workplace safety, mental health and community resilience.
The conference also highlighted a recent memorandum of understanding between the SPSA, Prince Albert Grand Council, Meadow Lake Tribal Council and the Government of Saskatchewan aimed at strengthening wildfire preparedness, prevention, response and recovery efforts through collaboration with First Nations leadership.
A unique highlight of the event saw wildfire safety mascots Smokey the Bear, Sparky the Fire Dog, Ember the FireSmart Fox and Torch the Turtle appear together for the first time, helping promote fire safety education and community awareness.