Ontario's native firefighters gather in Garden River

Native firefighters from across the province have been taking part in training exercises in Garden River and Sault Ste. Marie over the past two days.

The exercises in Garden River involved survival, rescue and recovery operations.

Those in Sault Ste. Marie - at the Waterfront Inn and Conference Centre - involved enclosed spaces.

More 60 firefighters divided into two groups, with one group bussing out to Garden River and the other staying in town at the Waterfront Inn.

"The Ontario Native Fire Fighters Society is having their annual conference in Sault Ste. Marie and part of that conference involves training," said Alan Brody, fire training officer from Rama Mnjikaning First Nation.

Brody is seen on the left with Garden River Fire Chief Steve Nolan in the middle and fellow trainer Jeremy Parkin, who's also vice chair of the society.

The training in Garden River involved some hands-on, eyes-off segments that one participant, Darcy Snake from Chippewas of the Thames, found refreshingly challenging.

The group donned balaclavas turned backwards to cover their eyes and simulate a dark, smoky scene, he said.

Then, instructors took their breathing apparatus apart and told them to reassemble it and see whether it worked.

"There were some guys here who thought they really knew their equipment, but it turned out they didn't know it as well as they thought," Snake said.

Snake has 13 years experience fighting fires and says he loves it for the camaraderie, among other reasons.

He says firefighters are like a family themselves and quickly build close ties and efficient teams, even when working with strangers.

His team at home is very close-knit but he didn't have a problem finding a close fit with the team he trained with today.

Nolan agreed, saying he, his father before him, his brother, his son and his nephew all spend a lot of time at the Garden River Fire Department.

He said the bond between firefighters transcends country, kin and nationality.

This was made very apparent to him when he visited Ground Zero at the twin towers of the World Trade Centre in New York about six weeks after they fell.

Nolan said the emotion was raw and overwhelming, and that pictures, video and descriptions couldn't encompass the magnitude of the heartbreak of the nation at losing so many firefighters and others who were in there trying to save lives.

Firefighters came from all over to help each other at that time because that's what they do, he said.

They help each other in a fire, in everyday life and in any times of need.

That was one of the main reasons both Brody and Parkin became firefighters, too.

They do it because they like to help people and because they want to set a positive example for others to make their communities better.

The firefighters returned to the Waterfront Inn around 4:30 p.m. today.

Tomorrow, they will attend a business meeting including election of their board of directors.

Native firefighters face some unique challenges, especially in the area of funding and training, said Parkin.

While other volunteer and paid fire departments in the province fall under the jurisdiction of the Ontario Fire Marshal's office, First Nations are federal bodies and had to negotiate agreements with the provinces they reside in to access training and procedures.

They also have to find their own funding.

Snake said some of his firefighters don't fight fires on the front line but help in other ways, like fundraising, so the front-line responders can attend training workshops like the one held in Garden River this week.

Parkin said organizations like the Ontario First Nations Technical Services Corporation helped out, but individual firefighters had to pay their own way to the conference and many also had to take time off work to attend.

But it's a small sacrifice for those wanting to serve their communities, he said.

The closeness of a First Nation community can also be an issue for first responders at times, said Nolan.

Responders know that almost every time they get a call, it will be for someone they know, may be related to and probably care for on a personal level.

It creates a stress that both inspires great work and great fear, he said.

It also means the support firefighters give each other is that much more vital in First Nation communities.