Videos
Indigenous communities are disproportionately impacted by wildfires, increasingly so within the ‘new normal’ of climate change-induced fire season extremes. Likewise, Indigenous individuals are increasingly being called upon by their communities and wildfire management organizations to engage in wildfire work. The organizational culture surrounding wildfire work is largely rooted in western, paramilitary values that are quite distinct from cultural burning and fire stewardship practices. Alongside colonial settlement came a devaluing of these Indigenous-led practices and a problematic history of forced/coerced wildland firefighting in Indigenous communities.
Currently, Indigenous wildland firefighters navigate this living history alongside the other considerable challenges of wildland firefighting, which include prolonged exposure to dangerous and extreme conditions, exhaustion and burnout from long, physically demanding days and suboptimal sleep, health risks due to smoke and chemical exposure, and loneliness and isolation from extended time spent away from loved ones and community. Compounding these challenges are what many Indigenous wildland firefighters report are exclusion from career advancement, incidences of anti-Indigenous racism and discrimination, and a lack of understanding and recognition of Indigenous-led cultural and fire stewardship practices.
In this panel discussion, we will examine:
- The unique challenges and stressors experienced by Indigenous wildland fire fighters
- Recommendations and practices for supporting Indigenous wildland firefighter cultural safety and wellness
- Calls for decolonizing wildfire services, and honouring Indigenous-led fire stewardship principles in wildland firefighting
December 11, 2025.
Panelists
Elder Paul Courtoreille
Fire Program Coordinator, Gift Lake Development Corporation
Elder Paul Courtoreille is a member of the Gift Lake Metis Settlement community member, a Fire Knowledge Keeper and has been a wildland firefighter for 47 years, 14 of which were as Forest Officer/Wildfire Ranger for the Alberta Government. During the years working with forestry he also served as a Wildfire Investigator, Peace Officer, Trainer as well as various roles in overhead teams. He is currently the Fire Programs Coordinator for the Gift Lake Development Corporation in Northern Alberta. In 2024 Elder Paul received the Okimâw Awards Service and Public Safety Award, which recognizes the outstanding achievements of Indigenous men in Alberta.
Dr. Natasha Caverley
President, Turtle Island Consulting Services Inc.
Natasha is a multiracial Canadian woman of Algonquin, Jamaican, and Irish heritage. She holds a M.Ed in Counselling Psychology and an Interdisciplinary PhD in Organizational Studies from the University of Victoria. Natasha has held research and policy analyst and organizational development positions within Indigenous, non-Indigenous and public service organizations specializing in community facilitation and troubleshooting, management and organizational behaviour. She is a Professional Certified Member of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association who holds the designation of Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC) – specializing in organizational behaviour, career counselling and development, and multicultural counselling. Natasha is the president of Turtle Island Consulting Services, Inc., was the Principal Investigator of the Giving Voice to Cultural Safety of Indigenous Wildland Firefighters in Canada Project, and was a member of the technical writing team of FireSmart Canada’s Blazing the Trail: Celebrating Indigenous Fire Stewardship.
Kieran Davis
Social Emergency Coordinator
Ji-Adisidooyang Ge-Onji Mino-Ayaayang (Health Transformnation), Grand Council Treaty #3
Kieran Davis is originally from the Lac Seul First Nation Lookout, and has been a wildland firefighter, interface and structural firefighter, with experience in supporting evacuations and emergency management. He is currently Social Emergency Coordinator with Ji-Adisidooyang Ge-Onji Mino-Ayaayang Health – Grand Council Treaty #3. He is a member of the Grand Council Treaty 3 and its 2SLGBTQIA+ Council, which supports and advocates for Indigenous youth. Kieran has also sat on the Ontario First Nations Young Peoples, and the Ontario Youth Council. He is co-host of the When the Frogs Sleep podcast, which along with knowledge keepers, and other guests with lived expertise shares cultural knowledge, experiences and wisdom relating to gender, identity, and culture with Indigenous youth.
Jonas Joe
Wildfire Technician
British Columbia Wildfire Service
Jonas Joe is a member of the Nłeʔkepmxc (“People of the Creek”) Nation (pronounced Ng-khla-kap-muhx) of the Nicola Valley, interior Salish first peoples from the Southern Interior of British Columbia. He spent 20 years on the Fire Devils 20-person unit crew as a seasonal firefighter and ten winters in the Forest Fuels Management Department with the First Nations Emergency Services Society (FNESS) of British Columbia. He helped begin the FireSmart program, which assists communities in reducing their risk from wildfires and has travelled BC teaching wildfire prevention. He was a member of the technical writing team of FireSmart Canada’s Blazing the Trail: Celebrating Indigenous Fire Stewardship. Jonas currently work as a Wildfire Technician with the BC Wildfire Service and is a member of the FNESS Board of Directors.
Facilitated by:
Kara Vincent
Knowledge Translator, Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment
Resources from this online discussion
This video recognizes the role of Indigenous wildland firefighters in shaping wildfire training and the wildland firefighting profession in the Province of Alberta (Canada).
Engaging technical writers and peer reviewers across the country, this resource is the result of a national initiative from FireSmart Canada to recognize and highlight the contributions to wildfire prevention of Indigenous communities in what is now called Canada. its detailed, first-person stories provide insight and context about Indigenous Peoples and fire stewardship, and the narrative encourages celebration and sharing of wise practices and lessons learned across generations.
This report is a result of a multidisciplinary and collaborative team-based project, lead by Dr. Natasha Caverley (Turtle Island Consulting Inc.). It is a first-of-its kind study about the lived experiences, needs, and priorities of Indigenous wildland firefighters and offers recommendations for enhancing cultural safety for Indigenous wildland firefighting personnel.
In this Canadian-based podcast, co-hosts Matthew Kristoff and Dr. Amy Cardinal Christianson invite guest speakers to explore how fire can support ecological health and cultural empowerment by Indigenous Peoples around the globe. “Good fire” is a term used to describe fire that is lit with the intention to achieve specific ecological and cultural goals. Good fire is about balance.
In this video, watch and listen to the stories and experiences of Indigenous cultural burning at the Shackan Indian Band in British Columbia, Canada.
This position statement articulates the International Association of Wildland Fire’s (IAWF) commitment to promoting health and wellbeing for wildland fire practitioners, their families and support communities.
This video explores the important role that Métis wildland firefighters play in protecting the land and people’s properties across the Canadian Prairies. Métis wildland firefighters in Canada are featured in this video and share their individual and collective insights on how Indigenous Ecological Knowledge and cultural values influence their work and identities as Métis wildland firefighters.
This website is a toolkit for cultural burning revitalization: applying Indigenous-led fire practices and western fire management in the Saskatchewan River Delta (northern Saskatchewan, Canada).
References
CIFFC National Fire Management Conversation: ‘Giving Voice to Cultural Safety of Indigenous Wildland’ February 24, 2022. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_IMpXal1Cw
TICS Inc. Project Team (2021) Giving Voice to Cultural Safety of Indigenous Wildland Firefighters in Canada: Final Report. North Saanich, BC: Turtle Island Consulting Services Inc. Available at: http://www.turtleislandconsulting.ca/cultural-safety.html
Wagner SL et al. (2025) Mental health risk for wildland firefighters: a review and future directions. International Journal of Wildland Fire 34, WF24159. doi:10.1071/WF24159