The 12th Ember Fire Academy finished its 2026 session in Teslin last week, with 11 women completing a compact, five-day training that gives participants hands-on exposure to many aspects of firefighting and rescue.
Intensive, hands-on introduction to the fire service
Organized and funded through the Yukon Department of Community Services via the Fire Marshal’s Office, the Ember course operates as a condensed, practical introduction to the fire service. Participants move through a variety of exercises in a short time frame designed to mirror many elements of a full fire academy.
The curriculum packed into the five days included practical drills and scenarios such as car-fire response, interior attack and search procedures, confined-space rescue and other standard response skills. The goal is to provide immersive, practical training rather than classroom-only instruction.
“It is really meant to provide people who are usually less likely to participate in the fire service a chance to experience what it can be like in a safe, supportive experience with other like-minded people,”
The Fire Marshal, Wini Brehm, described Ember as an intensive introduction that gives participants a concentrated taste of what firefighting work entails. She emphasized the program’s intensity and the breadth of experience compressed into a single week.
From recruits to instructors — building local capacity
Brehm told WE NEWS the program has shifted participation patterns in the territory over the past decade. Where Ember once relied on instructors flown in from outside Yukon, most instructor roles are now filled by local women. The change signals a growing local capacity and a grassroots strengthening of the volunteer and professional ranks.
Roughly one third of Ember participants go on to join local volunteer fire departments or pursue further professional fire training, according to Brehm. For many, the week acts as a launch point — connecting people with departments and pathways to certification.
- Location: Teslin
- Duration: Five days
- Participants completing 2026 session: 11 women
- Funding and delivery: Yukon Department of Community Services, Fire Marshal’s Office
Why Ember matters to small communities
Volunteer fire departments remain the backbone of emergency response in many Yukon communities. Programs like Ember directly address recruitment challenges by offering a supportive, short-term commitment that lets residents test the role without immediately taking on full operational responsibilities.
By focusing on women and gender-diverse people, the academy also aims to broaden the volunteer base and diversify the culture of local services. That has both operational and social implications: more diverse crews can help departments better reflect and serve their communities.
Ember’s outcomes are practical. Graduates gain experience and contacts that can lead to volunteer service or further training, and the territory benefits from a growing pool of locally trained instructors and recruits.
Next steps and opportunities
While this year’s class concluded in Teslin, the Fire Marshal’s Office continues to use the program to build capacity across the territory. For people interested in participating or in recruiting Ember graduates into local departments, the Fire Marshal’s Office and individual community departments are the primary points of contact.
As the program marks its twelfth year, its evolution from relying on external instructors to developing local leadership demonstrates a broader trend: investment in training can yield durable, community-based capability that supports emergency response across Yukon.
Ember’s compact model — intensive, practical and community-focused — remains an appealing option for people curious about firefighting and for communities needing to bolster volunteer ranks without lengthy initial commitments.
