ʔa·kinq̓uku Fire Service LTD.

ʔa·kinq̓uku Fire Service was created by Ashley O’Neil a Ktunaxa Nation Member from the community of ʔaq̓am. This new division was developed under ʔaq̓am Community Enterprise for 2.5 years. Ashley then decided to take on the Fire service on her own. As a Firefighter of 20 years, who has an interest in fire and fuel management within the Ktunaxa territory. Managing fire is deeply rooted in Ktunaxa culture and there is a strong community interest to grow the expertise in this important traditional practice.
Traditional ʔa·kinq̓uku roles must modernize to meet the many challenges presented by a century of wildfire suppression activities and settlement patterns that have, in turn, created high risk conditions that cannot be treated solely through traditional cultural practices. The present context of a highly trained ʔa·kinq̓uku requires multidisciplinary skill sets in the following core functions of fire management:

1. Suppression: A full wildfire response when there is threat to public safety, property, and other values such as infrastructure or timber. Immediate action is taken and the wildfire is suppressed and controlled until it is deemed extinguished. Ideally, firefighters must carry a minimum level of training and be able to endure physical and hazardous working conditions.

2. Mitigation: Mitigation helps communities reduce high risk fire occurrences. Many areas are at a high risk for wildfire and these risks are made worse by climate change and fuel build-up within forests. Mitigation efforts to reduce fuel loading and wildfire susceptibility can save money compared to the cost of post-disaster recovery. Firesmart work is a key aspect of Mitigation works.

3. Prescribed Burning: Prescribed fire is the planned and intentional use of fire on a specific land area. It is one of the most ecologically appropriate and relatively efficient means for achieving a range of objectives. These objectives can include wildfire risk reduction, habitat enhancement, and forest health.

4. Cultural burning: A fire practice that was removed from the indigenous peoples long before