Lessons From Indigenous Emergency Response in Canada

During the 2021 wildfires, Indigenous First Nation communities in British Columbia were instructed to evacuate to Kamloops, approximately 1.5 hours away. Unfortunately, many important considerations had been overlooked, such as transportation, animals, and large families. Numerous community members are elders who require assistance with mobility. Many do not drive, and some have never held a driver’s license. Due to this planning oversight, members of the emergency operations center (EOC) from that First Nation community took the initiative to step out of the EOC and personally drive each member in need to Kamloops, making multiple trips through the night, to ensure their safety and security.

At the reception center after the long journey, new arrivals were often not accommodated. Even though the province had recommended evacuation from the area, their arrival was not anticipated. Hotels refused to accept pets, and families of five or more were offered only two beds. This led to widespread skepticism among community members. Indigenous peoples were already reticent to leave their homes and now faced additional anxiety over placement in a temporary residence. The lack of coordination created confusion and deepened the trauma experienced by evacuees who were already facing the emotional toll of leaving their homes behind. It highlighted critical gaps in emergency planning for vulnerable populations—gaps that must be addressed moving forward.

Emergency management in Indigenous First Nation communities in Canada reflects a unique spirit that often falls outside the structured frameworks of conventional EOCs. A similar spirit and determination, as well as challenges, can be seen in Indigenous communities across the United States and around the world. In these communities, an EOC might be just five individuals whose love for their people runs deeper than any job title. It might be a maintenance worker who has spent 25 years ensuring safe drinking water. Or, it may be a secretary who does the band office administration (i.e., clerical work) and now steps up as the operations section chief in the face of crisis, not because of a diploma, but because of unwavering devotion.

Strength During Disaster

In these communities, leadership is not measured by academic degrees, but by sacrifice, heart, and an ancestral bond to the land and its people. Rooted in Indigenous worldviews, leadership is guided by values like stewardship, community kinship, and intergenerational responsibility. Every decision carries the weight of generations, and every act of coordination is grounded in empathy, reciprocity, and collective strength. To witness an EOC in an Indigenous community is to witness something sacred. A quiet, powerful determination to protect, preserve, and uplift supersedes egos and the pursuit of recognition. In these moments, emergency response transcends protocol—it becomes an act of love, cultural duty, and collective responsibility.

Many Indigenous communities face extraordinary challenges due to their remote locations, where emergency medical services and police support may be hours away. Geographic isolation becomes especially critical during fast-moving wildfires and sudden floods, when every second counts. In these moments, the wait for outside help can feel endless, demanding incredible patience, strength, and trust in the community’s own leadership and traditions.

When everything seemed hopeless and no help was coming, a small First Nation community in the interior region of British Columbia during the 2021–2022 wildfires did not wait for provincial support. They took matters into their own hands. Community members connected hoses to hydrants, set up sprinklers around their homes and on rooftops, brought out generators, and installed water bladders. It was a true display of dedication and collective effort to protect their community.

These communities display remarkable resilience and resourcefulness. While waiting for external aid, local individuals take immediate action—fighting fires with their own hoses, watering lawns to create protective barriers, and using whatever means available to defend their homes and families. This proactive spirit reflects a deep connection to their land and an unwavering commitment to protect it. Indigenous communities demonstrate strength not through dependence but through self-reliance and unity. Their determination and courage transform each emergency into a powerful story of resilience and hope, inspiring those who witness their response.

However, while resilience and love for the land provide strength, they cannot replace the financial resources necessary to sustain emergency efforts. Behind every act of bravery lies a persistent challenge that strains many Indigenous communities—the financial burden of maintaining these responses, especially without adequate external support or proper equipment.

Financial Burdens

One of the significant challenges Indigenous communities face during emergencies is the financial burden placed on them. When disasters strike, these communities often must cover upfront costs for essential resources such as sandbags, water barriers, overtime wages for workers, and specialized equipment to protect their homes and land. Current governmental systems often require communities to pay these expenses out of pocket and then submit detailed reimbursement claims to provincial authorities.

For a small community of just a few hundred members, the costs can quickly add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars—an immense strain on limited local budgets. Even when paperwork is completed accurately, the delay in reimbursement can cause financial hardship. And if the documentation is incomplete or delayed, the community may face the difficult question of how to cover these critical expenses in the meantime. This reality highlights the determination and resilience of Indigenous communities, who continue to demonstrate self-reliance despite these persistent obstacles. Their commitment to protecting their people and land under such conditions is a powerful testament to their enduring spirit.

The financial burden during emergencies, particularly during the flood season, is significant. Communities that are isolated from larger cities often request sandbags or flood barriers to prevent their land from collapsing into rivers or from being flooded. This requires trucks to deliver sand from two hours away and workers to fill the bags, which is a costly process. Some communities piece together internal funds to cover these costs, hoping provincial reimbursement will arrive before the end of the flood season. The cost is high, and while provincial funding may be available, it often requires communities to pay upfront and wait for reimbursement. Small communities without financial resources find such a purchase a significant burden.

Funding programs provide opportunities for Indigenous communities, offering potential resources for community growth and development. However, eligibility requirements for many funding programs tend to be designed with larger urban centers in mind, which can prevent access to smaller or more remote communities. This poses a challenge for communities that currently lack such infrastructure but seek to establish these essential services. As a result, many communities face difficulties accessing funding to build or expand emergency services, despite the clear need. For example, a small community wanting to create a volunteer fire department may not meet the strict funding requirements to build it.

This situation highlights the importance of funding programs that are tailored to the unique circumstances of Indigenous communities, including those in the early stages of developing emergency response capabilities. For example, available funding is tailored to established jurisdictions with traditional Canadian governmental structures. Entities, like Indigenous communities, that fall outside such a profile must submit to more bureaucracy to prove their eligibility. Building or purchasing equipment for emergency services that fit funding parameters should only require receipts and proof of purchase.

Disconnects in Protocols and Trust

On numerous occasions, government-led evacuation efforts have revealed a disconnect between standard emergency protocols and the lived realities of Indigenous communities. Unlike in many other populations, homes in these communities are often passed down through generations, carrying with them not just personal belongings, but items of deep cultural significance, ancestral history, and community identity. When evacuation orders or alerts are issued, they are not simply being asked to leave a structure; they are being asked to leave behind the very fabric of their heritage.

For Indigenous families, displacement is not a new experience. Many have endured generations of forced relocations, residential schools, and systemic disruptions to their way of life. As a result, trust in government directives—particularly those involving sudden movement or separation from ancestral land—is fragile. During emergencies, this mistrust becomes a significant barrier to effective response. The emotional weight of leaving behind sacred land and collective memory is often underestimated. It is not as simple as “just evacuating.” It means walking away from every battle fought, every child born, every story lived on that land. The land holds pain, healing, and a source of strength. Leaving it behind is not only logistically difficult but emotionally profound. In moments of forced evacuation, families are asked to place their safety—and the fate of their land—into the hands of institutions that once played a role in colonizing and displacing them. That is an incredibly difficult ask for communities still navigating the long-term impacts of historical and intergenerational trauma.

In light of the fire evacuation experience in Kamloops, it is important to examine how culturally appropriate emergency support and communication strategies can improve response efforts in future crises. To restore this trust and close the gap between policy and lived experience, emergency planning must become more culturally grounded.

Steps to Bridge the Gaps

Recognizing and respecting the deep-rooted connections Indigenous peoples have to their land is essential for building culturally aware emergency plans that genuinely serve their communities. These plans should include the following components:

• Community-led planning—Involve local elders, leaders, and community members directly in the development and review of emergency protocols. Those who have lived on the land for generations understand it better than anyone and know which approaches are most effective and respectful for their specific environment.
• Accessible transportation options—Provide transportation for those without vehicles, including options for elders and individuals with disabilities.
• Concise response plans—Develop one-page emergency response plans that are clear and easy to follow, instead of relying solely on lengthy 200-page documents that may not be practical in a crisis.
• Standard operating procedures—Outline step-by-step actions for each identified hazard to ensure clarity and consistency during emergencies.
• Community training and drills—Implement a training plan that regularly engages the community in practice scenarios. Prepare for specific hazards as if they could happen tomorrow. Define everyone’s role, rehearse actions, and continue training until preparedness becomes part of daily life. This approach builds resilience and strengthens communal ties.

A Community-Informed Approach

Emergency management in Indigenous First Nation communities across Canada—as in many Indigenous communities around the world—is shaped by unique cultural values, historical experiences, and geographic realities. As the frequency and intensity of natural disasters increase, it becomes more important than ever to adopt community-informed approaches that reflect the diverse needs of all populations. By nurturing collaboration, improving funding accessibility, and honoring traditional knowledge alongside formal emergency protocols, governments and emergency planners can help ensure no community is overlooked or underfunded. Building trust and resilience is not only a matter of policy; it is a shared responsibility rooted in mutual respect and long-term partnership.