Inspiring Young Tahltans – Noah Allison

INSPIRING YOUNG TAHLTANS Noah Allison

Sinking ships, fires on the water and even Grizzly bear attacks, Noah Allison has dealt with it all as he monitors Canada’s west coast out of Prince Rupert’s Coast Guard Communications Department. His traditional Tsimshian name is Si liiłgm lax süülda, meaning “The Keeper of the Seas,” which is fitting for someone who has been the lifeline for hundreds of people who found themselves in life threatening situations.

Noah Allison is a twenty-five-year-old Tahltan/ Tsimshian man born to the Thud ga family and the Tsimshian Eagle Clan. His parents are Char Etzerza and Mark Allison and his Tahltan grandparents are Carl and Dorothy Etzerza. He currently lives in Prince Rupert, BC, where he was born and raised.

Noah grew up doing a variety of activities. His grandpa was an avid badminton player and Noah picked up the sport as well, travelling throughout BC to compete. He also fished for Coho salmon every year from August to October and has hunted birds, including geese and ducks, since he was twelve. In school, he was always interested in art and found himself painting and carving First Nation art. In Grade 10, Noah was sent to Ottawa for the National Day of Healing and Reconciliation where he toured parliament with Justin Trudeau.

After graduation, Noah worked at a cannery and then for a logging company for a year where he decided to make healthy lifestyle changes and lost over 100 pounds; an amazing feat. He was then accepted to TriCorp’s North Coast recruitment course where he was the only person out of his cohort accepted to the Canadian Coast Guard College in Sydney, Nova Scotia. He spent six months in Sydney learning to effectively manage marine emergencies, weather patterns, marine shipping, and a lot of geography.

During college, disaster struck as Noah came down with a serious illness that required over fifteen surgeries and an eighty-eight-day hospital stay. But when he got better, he quickly finished college and joined the Coast Guard in Prince Rupert for his on-thejob training.

Since joining the Coast Guard full time, Noah has worked as a Marine Communications and Traffic Services Officer where he says it is a mixture of both a 911 dispatcher and an air traffic controller. He is the first point of contact for incidents that occur on the water and even some on land. He has sent help for sinking ships, fires, heart attacks, and even someone who narrowly escaped a Grizzly bear attack on a remote island. Noah monitors the entire west coast of Canada from Alaska to Washington and screens container ships coming into the ports, updates on weather, and more. Also, he has been training new employees since 2018 and is the lead trainer at the station.

Through the ups and downs Noah has overcome challenges to be one of the most senior people at his station. In 2021, he bought his first house where he lives with his parents, and he plans to continue travelling the world in his off time. He loves his job and says that anyone looking to follow their passion should just keep moving forward no matter what life throws at you. This inspiring young Tahltan has overcome serious illness and challenges as he follows his passion for keeping people safe and being there for when they need help the most.