How can it expire?

I'm referring to a smoke detector.  Apparently, that's the reason for the many fatal fires on native reserves.  Really?  In 2012, 20,000 of these devices were shipped to reserves, which resulted in the death toll plummeting to zero.  "But it rose again starting in 2019 because the program was discontinued," said Len Garis, director of research for the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council.  

Does Garis mean that the natives didn't replace the batteries?  That's all I can conclude because smoke detectors don't expire; the batteries do.  So, now not only do we have to supply the detectors, but we also have to send up replacement batteries.  That's insane.  Garis also blames the absence of national codes and standards on reserves.  And who's going to set the standards?  Not the federal government because you can be sure native leaders would never accept that.  And would the 400-odd reserves agree on one code?  Would they agree on national training standards?  Those were another two of my rhetorical questions.  

And what's happened to the $33.8 million Indigenous Services sent to on-reserve fire services in the past five years?  My guess is as good as yours, but I'd ask the chiefs what they did with it.  Maybe Monias Fiddler, Sandy Lake's executive director where the latest fire killed three young children, might have an answer, but he claims the problem is a lack of funding.  Really?  I'd say $33.8 million is not a lack of money.  

Natives need to get off reserves, but they won't because that's how the money -- of which there never seems to be enough -- flows.