Ashley O’Neil is a wildland firefighter and entrepreneur, and band member of ʔaq̓am (pronounced Aqam), a Ktunaxa Nation near Cranbrook. She is Ktunaxa Nation on her mother’s side and Métis/Mohawk on her father’s side.

Ashley grew up in the Columbia Valley and lives on the Akisqnuk reservation located in Windermere/Fairmont Hot Springs.

She started as a structural firefighter 18 years ago in her hometown and has worked as one in BC, Saskatchewan, and Montana, US. In 2018, she was introduced to wildland firefighting and became a firefighter, crew leader, team leader, as well as the manager of ’Neill Consulting Ltd. She is also a medic, danger tree assessor, and an instructor for wildfire and other courses in wildfire and forestry training.
Ashley has worked in the Cariboo and Kootenay regions, providing training and recruiting in Indigenous communities.

Through ʔaq̓am Community Enterprises (ACE), a community development corporation, O’Neil started a company called ʔa•kinq’uku (Fire in English), which recruits and trains initial attack type 2 wildfire crews working in the ʔaq̓am Nation through a contract with BC Wildfire Service. It also trains mitigation crews and teaches FireSmart practices within the community using traditional Indigenous practices.