On Friday afternoon, under clear skies and summer sun, with a supportive crowd in the bleachers, 22 young high school women aged 15 to 18, from across Eastern Ontario, took part in the Brockville Fire Department Girls Firefighting Camp “Belles and Ladders” Fire Fit Relay.
The challenge was the culmination of three days of camp at the north-end fire station, which began on Wednesday where they learned many things about firefighting.
Fire Chief, Melanie Jones commended the young women for their participation.
“You were so much fun and gave us a lot of joy watching you emerge from your shells. The difference between Wednesday, start day, and now is amazing,” said the chief. “Be proud of all you have accomplished.”
The relay format divided the teens into four teams. Before their turn, each team boarded one of two out-of-sight fire trucks. The challenge began with the roaring arrival of the fire trucks in full horn and siren mode.
The participating team jumped out of the truck and a designated team member ran up six flights of stairs with a high-rise pack. That participant let down a rope to which a hose was attached and hauled up to the top.
Coming back down, another team member ran to the Kaiser, a horizontal metal creation that allows the participant, with a heavy sledgehammer, to replicate forceable entry.
Another team member was then tagged to run through a serpentine course, where yet another member was required to haul a weighty fire hose over several feet and then hit a target with the water.
A final member was tagged and entrusted with hauling a victim, which was a 110 lb dummy (heavier than some of the girls), backwards at a run. This was one of the more difficult tasks.
The fastest team was the green team, which completed the course in one minute, 28 seconds, announced Jones.
“There’s no specific prize for the winning team,” said Jones. “It’s not so much about winning as it is about being here and participating.”
The three-day camp included many activities, from fun to challenging to downright scary.
A poster competition was fun; a truck pull was fun but most challenging; what tipped into scary for the young women was the rappelling exercise. Fully suited in safety harnesses and hats, they were required to step off from the top of the fire station tower, rappel down the wall and then turn upside-down three quarters of the way down, finishing the descent.
“It was terrifying,” said Lyv Wood, a Char-Lan District High School student from Williamstown on the Green team, “but also a lot of fun.”
“The camp is great. You make new friends and people are very supportive,” said Ryleigh Goguen.
“This is my second year,” said Pearl Hare, 16, going into Grade 11 at Thousand Islands Secondary School.
“I knew what to expect and I was able to be supportive and encourage the other girls. It’s mind over matter. For sure it’s scary and took a lot of courage,” she said.
Chief Jones commended the young women for doing the task.
“Everyone did it even though some of you did not want to, but you challenged yourself to go outside your comfort zone, showing you that you can achieve anything you put your mind to,” she said.
Other activities included auto extrication, learning where all the equipment is on the trucks; hose handling, putting fires out; search and rescue; firefighter survival and climbing ladders, including the aerial ladder.
The camp was supported by nine different municipalities including Ottawa, Kingston, South Grenville, Winchester, Carleton Place and Napanee, said Jones.
She thanked the Brockville community sponsors.
“The community really helped and the Brockville YMCA really stepped up,” said the chief.
Among many things including food for the lunches, the Y specifically provided the funds for the T-shirts in the four different team colours.