FACING THE FLAMES: NEW AND OLD WAYS OF CO-EXISTING WITH FIRE WITH JOE GILCHRIST AND PAUL HESSBURG

Eamon started his career with the BC Public Service in 1991 as a Park Ranger in Mount Robson Park.

He moved on to join the Land Use Coordination Office, then into the role of Planning Manager with the Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management, then Regional Executive Director with the Integrated Land Management Bureau (ILMB) and the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development (FLNRORD) for 10 years. In October 2018, Eamon was appointed into the role as Assistant Deputy Minister of the North Area (FLNRORD).

In February 2022, he became the Associate Deputy Minister of Forests.

Joe is a member of the Skeetchestn Indian Band near Kamloops and the Vice President of the Interior Salish Firekeepers.  Joe’s earliest memories of using fire were near Ashcroft growing up along the Thompson River in a house with no power, running water or plumbing. Fire was used daily for cooking, boiling water, and warming the house during winter.

Moving to Merritt at six years old, Joe noticed fire being used to improve hay production, cattle feed and deer habitat. Joe started firefighting at the age of 15 as an emergency hire. He then became a member of the newly formed Merritt Firedevils Type 1 Unit Crew in 1991, first as a squad boss and then as Unit Crew Leader the following year. In 1996, Joe became a full time employee for 17 years with BC Wildfire service in the Merritt Fire Zone after completing a 16-week Fire Prevention Technician course at the Tribal Justice Institute in Mission BC, and continues to support cultural fire initiatives.

Dr. Paul Hessburg is Senior Research Ecologist with the USDA Forest Service, Pacific NorthWest Research Station, Professor at four western US universities and the University of British Columbia, and current President of the International Association for Fire Ecology (AFE). His research explores wildfire and climate change effects on historical, current, and future landscape dynamics and resilience. Paul holds a PhD from Oregon State University and a BS from the University of Minnesota. You can follow his research here.

Robin Prest is the Program Director at Simon Fraser University’s Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, where he strengthens the democratic process through dialogue-based engagement and builds the capacity of governments, citizens and stakeholders to co-create solutions to pressing issues.

Robin regularly supports elected officials and senior decision-makers to improve the clarity and impact of public engagement initiatives, and to embed engagement within organizational cultures. This work includes launching the International Climate Engagement Network to help national and sub-national governments accelerate climate action, advising Canada's Treasury Board Secretariat in the development of its 4th Open Government Plan and facilitating the Mayor’s Task Force on Public Engagement at the City of New Westminster.

Elodie Jacquet is the Manager of Knowledge and Practice at Simon Fraser University’s Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue. Elodie has developed and refined her convening and facilitation skills in a wide variety of dialogues, from Canada’s World, a national citizen engagement initiative on foreign policy, to the National Reconciliation Gatherings, the Citizens’ Dialogue on Canada’s Energy Future or the community guided dialogues for the National inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. She currently leads the Centre’s work on climate engagement and equity.