Historic Indigenous firefighting crew from New Brunswick heading to Alberta

As wildfires rage in Western Canada, a group of Indigenous firefighters is partnering with the province to head to Alberta and lend a hand.

"It's significant to me because, not only in the province but across the country, we're all neighbours, and we all need to come together in crisis to help each other," said Travis Sappier, co-ordinator with the Mawiw Council.

The council, which says on its website that it works with Elsipogtog, Esgenoôpetitj and Neqotkuk First Nations, worked with the Department of Natural Resources to put together a crew of 10 Indigenous firefighters to head west as part of a crew helping Alberta.

"We had discussions at the table, and [the province] proposed to partner up with us," Sappier said, on Information Morning in the Summer.

The Wabanaki Wildland Wildfire crew comes out of a cohort of 20 Indigenous firefighters who were trained this spring. They will join a Department of Natural Resources team of firefighters headed to active fires in northern Alberta for 20 days.

"I think it's really important to them, seeing how they volunteered for a selfless duty, and they took it upon themselves to team up with the provincial officers and agencies to be mobilized out of the province," he said.

Some of the firefighters from Neqotkuk (Tobique), Sitansisk (St. Mary's) and Natoaganeg (Eel Ground) are new to the trade but many are skilled, including two fire chiefs, Sappier said.

He believes this is the first out-of-province mobilization of Indigenous firefighters from Atlantic Canada.

"So to us, it's a big piece of our history and provincial and Atlantic Canada history."

Sappier said the council is looking into continuing the program beyond this year, since the program will give firefighters a chance to go into the line of work and become role models for their families and communities.

"To me, it could become additional career opportunities if they choose to keep that path moving forward," he said.

"We're hoping to have more Indigenous communities involved in Atlantic Canada with this initiative."

Sappier also said, in a news release by the group, the initiative will help address climate change. With more out-of-control wildfires happening, he said it's important to work together "to help make a positive difference for future generations in every community and every province."

The team "is a great example of how in times of crisis, when we come together, we can all help each other when we put our differences aside and all contribute to the bigger picture," Sappier said.