On April 26, the First Nations’ Emergency Services Society (FNESS) teamed up with Vancouver Fire Rescue, the Vancouver School Board, and ACCESS, an organization dedicated to providing education and training for Indigenous people in the Greater Vancouver Area, to host an Indigenous Youth Firefighter Bootcamp. This impactful event, held at the training grounds of Vancouver Fire Rescue, brought together young participants eager to explore firefighting as a career.
Vancouver Fire Rescue played a pivotal role, providing their facilities and experienced firefighters as instructors. The bootcamp was coordinated by FNESS’s own Mattias Ballantyne who set an inspiring example of what is possible as a First Nations firefighter as he is also a career firefighter with Vancouver Fire Rescue.
Participants engaged in hands-on training, learning essential firefighting skills such as hose work, extinguisher training, and rescuing individuals from smoke-filled environments. A standout feature of this bootcamp was the involvement of instructors from FNESS’s Firefighter Development Program. These instructors, themselves aspiring Indigenous firefighters, shared their expertise while serving as living proof that a career in firefighting is an achievable dream.
This collaborative bootcamp not only equipped Indigenous youth with practical skills but also ignited a passion for firefighting and the emergency services.
For any questions, please reach out to our FNESS Fire Services team via email at fireservices@fness.bc.ca.
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