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Tammy Nash says a smoke detector likely saved her son’s life when their family home caught fire in 2010 on the Sitansisk First Nation in central New Brunswick.
Nash, director of the local Maqiyahtimok Centre, says her then 14-year-old son was asleep on the couch when the fire broke out. The smoke detector’s alarm woke him up and he escaped before their house burned to the ground.
Nash was on hand in Fredericton on Tuesday when three fire safety organizations came together to announce the distribution of hundreds of free smoke detectors to her community near Fredericton and two other First Nations in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
Kidde, a U.S. firm that sells fire safety equipment, is donating about $500,000 worth worth of smoke detectors.
It’s an expansion of a pilot program that has distributed smoke detectors across Canada over the past two years — a collaboration between the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council and and Firefighters Without Borders organization.
Arnold Lazare, interim CEO of the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council, said deadly fires disproportionately affect First Nations communities.
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“Fire departments don’t save lives, they save property,” he said. “It’s the smoke alarms that save lives, and we’re fortunate to have the donation today.”
Indigenous people in Canada experience higher rates of fire-related deaths compared with non-Indigenous Canadians, according to a 2025 study sponsored by the fire safety council.
The study cited census data showing Indigenous people, including First Nations, Métis, and Inuit, accounted for 20 per cent of fire-related deaths between 2011 and 2020, even though they account for only five per cent of the population.
Tyler Gary, a spokesperson for the fire safety council, said the donated smoke detectors won’t be left on doorsteps. Instead, Firefighters Without Borders will work with local leaders to make sure they are installed and residents know how to use them.
“We ensure these life-saving smoke alarms … are paired with fire safety education for families right in their homes,” he said. “And we know this approach works because we’ve seen the proof.”
Kidde is donating about 2,500 smoke detectors. Most of them will be shared among Sitansisk First Nation, where the announcement took place, and Bilijik First Nation, also known as Kingsclear, located west of Fredericton. Some 200 of the sensors will be distributed to Millbrook First Nation in central Nova Scotia.
Two years ago, Kidde donated 2,500 smoke alarms to communities in northern Manitoba and Ontario, Lazare said. Last year, another 500 were sent to communities near Montreal.
Lazare said Kidde has committed to contribute more sensors as it looks to grow the fire safety program.
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