Fire suppression at Wequengwaywin
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will go directly to this project
To ensure the continued operation of the Wequengwaywin camp in the face of increased fire risk we are raising funds to buy fire suppression and structure protection equipment to be stored at the camp. In the event of imminent threat of fire the sprinkler system will be set up with one sprinkler at each end of each cabin, the pump is then started and left running while people seek refuge at a designated safe zone. The secondary task of this equipment is to safely contain burning slash piles. The Fire Smart program recommends reducing fuel load in a 30-100 meter ring around structures.
The current plan is for a volunteer, experienced in the suppression of ground and forest fires, to travel to Thunder Bay once the gear has been purchased and transport it to the camp where he will facilitate a training session in the set-up and use of the fire suppression equipment and assist with fuel mitigation activities.
Nii’kinaaganaa will put $500 towards this project every month until September for a total of $3000. That means we need to raise an additional $3000 through Ko-fi donations. Any additional amount up to a maxium total of $4000 will assist the volunteer, band member Ben Krawec, with transportation costs.
Located on an island in Lake of the Woods, near Nigigoonsiminikaaning; Wequengwaywin operates a culturally grounded healing camp and retreat that includes two cabins, a sweat lodge and an outdoor cooking area.
In 2019, despite increased fire hazard due to a combination of beetle-kill, clearcut logging and climate change, the Ontario government slashed the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry’s (MNRF) budget by 161.7 million, with the majority of that coming from the Emergency Firefighting division. Given the lack of settler leadership regarding the realities of climate change, it is essential that we take action as indigenous communities to equip ourselves for the years ahead.
