Fort St. John to showcase competition featuring province’s best Indigenous firefighters

By Edward Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Energeticcity.ca FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Indigenous fire departments from around British Columbia will descend on Fort St. John this weekend. The 41st annual Indigenous Firefighter Competition will take place all day on Saturday, June 27th, in Centennial Park, hosted by the First Nations Emergency Services Society of B.C (FNESS). Firefighting competitions are quasi-athletic events where first responders face challenges based on real-world scenarios they might encounter, testing strength, speed, skill, stamina, and technical skills. The society is a non-profit organization that partners with First Nations across the province through training programs in forest fire and emergency management, according to its website. According to FNESS’s media specialist, Richard Olak, the competition predates the organization’s formation, which occurred in 1986. “It started in 1984…

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