Preparing Our Home: Indigenous Community Resilience Sharing Circles (June Circle)
Join us for this session to learn form David about career pathways in Indigenous emergency management and his current work at the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), including the Indigenous Emergency Management Capabilities Inventory. Based on input from sixty-two communities, this inventory highlighted that First Nations need to have care and control of emergency management regimes that are community reflective and culturally appropriate, and not have them prescribed. Additionally, the inventory illuminated some of the policy, process, and program deficiencies; gaps in training; and shortages in personnel, equipment, and funding as the foundation for their emergency management regimes.
Taha’wennòn:tié David A. Diabo is a Kanien’kehá:ka from the Mohawk community of Kahnawake and is a specialist in First Nations Occupational Health and Safety and Emergency Management.
David initially came to AFN from a background in Occupational Health and Safety to work for Irving Leblanc, the Director of the Housing, Infrastructure, Water, and Emergency Services Sector for a short-term contract. It has now been 10 years, two degrees, a Deputy Ministers Award, and two recognition awards from Indigenous Services Canada since David began working for First Nations in the field of Emergency Management.
On behalf of AFN, David worked with Public Safety Canada to co-lead and develop the Inventory of Emergency Management Capabilities in Indigenous in Communities, the Blueprint for Wildland Fire Science and the Indigenous Fire Stewardship Booklet with Natural Resources Canada, and is currently co-leading and developing the Steering Committee for First Nations Home Flood Insurance Needs with Indigenous Services Canada.
Now a part of the of the Rights and Justice Branch led by Senior Director, Sherry Antone, in the newly reorganized AFN, the work of Emergency Services Unit (ESU) will remain the same in the short term, but moving forward there will be less project-based activities and more focus on a governance aspect for First Nations, and how the ESU can contribute its development.
See David’s sharing here:
Here is the presentation from David’s sharing:
Recommended reading:
Enabling Indigenous emergency management: An interview with Tahawennon:tie David A. Diabo: http://haznet.ca/enabling-indigenous-emergency-management-interview-tahawennontie-david-diabo/