An inaugural firefighting camp for girls in Brockville had just one goal: Empower young girls to know they can do difficult things, including becoming a firefighter.
If the looks of pride on the participants’ faces at the end of the week were any indication, the camp served its purpose.
Belles and Ladders, a three-day firefighting camp for girls aged 15 to 18 hosted by the Brockville Fire Department, was held this week at Fire Station 2 on Laurier Boulevard, where 17 participants completed hands-on training in skills they’d use as firefighters.
The intent of the camp was to educate and empower young women to try something that may be non-traditional, and Fire Chief Melanie Jones said she was thrilled with how the week went.
“It’s been going great. They’re really having a lot of fun. They’re tired,” she laughed.
The temperatures were high all week, with humidexes in the high-30 C, but the girls powered through, she said.
The camp started with the basics, including personal protective equipment, first aid and communications, before moving into physical activities as the week went on. They worked on survival training, rappelling (a crowd favourite), auto extrication, water supply, aerials, games, and competitions, Jones said.
Their main goal, other than to introduce girls to the idea of firefighting, was to boost their confidence.
“I’d like a 16-year-old girl to say maybe I can be a firefighter, because boys will, but girls often won’t,” she said. “We had girls that were scared to do a lot of stuff but were still able to do it. When they finished, they’re all smiles and high fives. You can do things you may not think you can, and that’s what a lot of this is, to just try.
Jones, the first female fire chief in the city’s history, came to Brockville last year after serving as deputy fire chief for the City of Kingston. There, she was responsible for operations and training of both full- and part-time members, and she also initiated a committee for a girls’ fire camp there. She moved to Brockville soon after the fire camp in Kingston began, and floated the idea of starting up a local program after realizing there was only one female firefighter on staff here.
That firefighter, Cait Driscoll, was one of the 20-plus volunteers running the program this week, and said the camp had been an overall success. She said she was glad to see such a program in Brockville to hopefully entice young girls into the profession.
“Everyone’s been having fun,” Driscoll said. “The first day, everyone was a little awkward, but everyone’s broken out of their shell a little bit.”
To help run the program, firefighters from departments across the region came to volunteer, most of them women. Brockville firefighters helped out, but volunteers also came came from Kingston, Merrickville, Ottawa, South Glengarry, Stone Mills, Vaughan, Augusta, Welland, and Athens.
Taylor Haley, 16, said she has always been interested in a career as a first responder, and jumped at the chance to join the camp. One of her neighbours is a firefighter, and she’s always been inspired by the work he does and wanted to see what it was like.
“I’ve always wanted to be part of something that’s needed constantly and can’t be replaced out. There’s robots that can make food, versus this, nothing can replace this,” she said.
Haley said she really enjoyed her week, and was proud of herself for completing some of the difficult training they were put through. She said she’s no stranger to physically-demanding work, but said the rigorous training they did at the camp made her feel capable of anything.
“Figuring out how to get through the trailer, on your hands and knees and can’t see anything, that was difficult,” she said with a smile.
As for her future, she hopes to follow in the footsteps of one of the women who helped run the program, who was a correctional officer for years, and signed up as a part-time firefighter before switching careers to become full-time.
“I want to do that because I really like corrections as well. Same thing as with firefighters, it’s always needed,” she said.
They wanted to make sure the program was barrier-free, and so it was free of charge for anyone who wanted to join.
This was possible because of funding through the city, which in this year’s budget provided the camp with $5,000 to get started. It also secured more than 30 sponsorships from local businesses, who provided money and donations to ensure the program’s success.
Based on its resounding success, Jones said the camp will be back next year.