First Nations 10 times more likely to die in house fires: report

An internal federal government report says almost half the First Nations across Canada have "little to no fire protection" and rely too heavily on poorly trained volunteer firefighters who can't do the job.

The 2011 report examining insurance coverage for First Nations communities, obtained by The Canadian Press through Access to Information legislation, found only 56 per cent of First Nationsites across Canada have adequate fire protection -- most because they depend on a neighbouring municipality.

• Lack of standards jeopardizesFirst Nations fire safety
• Inquests find First Nations need better fire protection
• First Nations in dire need of overhaul

British Columbia and Manitoba had the highest percentage of First Nation sites with little to no fire protection while First Nations in Atlantic Canada had the most sites with adequate service.

"The number of fire-related deaths in First Nations is also a major concern," the consultant's report said. "The fire death rates in First Nations are substantially higher than those off reserve."

The report found that fire incidence rates for First Nations are 2.4 times higher than for the rest of Canada. First Nations residents are also 10 times more likely to die in a house fire.

The victims are often young children.

A two-year-old boy and an 18-month-old girl were carried by their father from a burning home this year on the Makwa Sahgaiehcan reserve in Saskatchewan. They were pronounced dead at the scene. The fire department from a neighbouring municipality didn't respond due to a funding dispute with the First Nation.

Two-month-old Errabella Harper died in a house fire on the St.Theresa Point First Nation in 2011. At the time, the community's fire truck was broken, with no fire hoses and no one knew where thekeys were.

A second fire about two months later on the God's Lake Narrows First Nation killed Demus James and his two grandchildren. Neighbours tried unsuccessfully to douse the flames with buckets, wet towels and a low-pressure hose. An inquest into the deaths found the reserves were woefully unprepared.

• Inquest told Manitoba reserve had no chance fighting house fire

Reserves rely too much on volunteers who aren't properly trained to protect homes that are dilapidated and not built to code, the government report found. There is a high attrition rate andvolunteers don't "adequately serve the public interest," it added.

As the Liberal indigenous affairs critic, Carolyn Bennett called federal funding for fire protection services "appalling." Now indigenous affairs minister, Bennett said the report's findings are "not acceptable."

First Nations need better fire prevention tools and adequate housing, as well as the ability to fight fires when they break out, she said.

"We think there are far too many First Nations families living in homes that other Canadians wouldn't be subject to," Bennett said in an interview. "This is a goal for all of us and for all Canadians -- they don't think that First Nations people should be living in third-world conditions."

Appalling