By Melanie Stutt and Eagle Andersen, Local Journalism Initiative Reporters, The Wren Melanie is the emergency services coordinator for Simpcw First Nation and is in charge of its Indigenous Initial Attack Crew. She also volunteers as the community’s deputy fire chief, and is the author of a fire safety-themed children’s book, Shawn and Flash. Born on the Sunshine Coast, her family moved to the small Interior town of Barriere, British Columbia when she was eight. “I guess my dad was having a midlife crisis in his mid-30s and said, ‘I want to buy a cattle ranch and become a farmer,’” said Melanie. In 2003, when the nearby McLure fire erupted near her community, the 20-year-old had no idea the battle to protect it would shape her future career. Barierre was…
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