First Nations Emergency Services Society holding first ever boot camp in Kamloops

KAMLOOPS — The T’kemlups Arbour was the safest building in the Kamloops area Thursday (March 9), as the First Nations Emergency Services Society (FNESS) practiced setting up structure protection equipment.

FNESS is holding its first ever boot camp in Kamloops this week. More than 70 members of the team have gathered to learn how to help first nations communities during natural disasters like fire and flood

The boot camp is meant to train the staff to then help instruct First Nations communities throughout the province on how to protect their homes.

“The whole idea is that we need to train and have communities protect their own communities. All the nations out there that want to do that training, we are going to send our people — the people you see today doing this training — into the communities to show them how to use this equipment, how to protect their communities from wildfires,” said FNESS Structure Protection instructor Neill Moroz.

Moroz lead the instruction on how to operate truck full of equipment the crews will be deployed with.

While the First Nations Emergency Services Society will focus on First Nations land, they will also work cooperatively with the B.C. Wildfire Service and other agencies to protect all of British Columbia.

“Yes, we are a going to be training First Nations communities, but if the First Nations community can come into another community and help them, that’s what it’s all about. It’s about making the province safe,” said Moroz.

Stephanie Ford is of Metis descendent, that connection to the land led her to join FNESS and learn the ropes this week.

“It means everything, right. If you don’t have that connection, what’s waking you up? What’s driving you? It’s nice to have the sense of community and home. It’s everything,” said Ford.

Despite not being a big fan of the heights on the ladder, Ford has taken quickly to the job of structure protection.

“We got tiger dam training yesterday, structural protection training right now, a lot of hands-on experience. No shortage of mentors here who are willing to teach us and help us grow,” stated Ford.

This week in Kamloops is the first ever boot camp, but Moroz expects many to follow.

“We got a lot accomplished, a lot done. Yes, this is the first of many to go ahead with boot camps, to train our FNESS people and then they can take this out to the communites and pass their knowledge on,” said Moroz.