Only about four per cent of firefighters worldwide are women, but a B.C. summer camp is looking to change that.
Camp Ignite is a camp for young women who are interested in getting in to firefighting. Going into its 11th year, the goal of the camp is to help young women in grades 11 and 12 who might be interested in firefighting get a taste of what itsa国际传媒檚 like and learn some basic skills.
sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 important that we represent the diversity in the communities that we serve,sa国际传媒� said Campbell River firefighter Debra Rogers, who also works as communications and correspondence coordinator for Camp Ignite. sa国际传媒淚 think women have a lot to bring to the table. Itsa国际传媒檚 not just brute strength anymore. We do a lot of medical calls, theresa国际传媒檚 cultural issues that need to be addressed that sometimes women can better address, especially in larger centres.sa国际传媒�
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sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 important to have the diversity sa国际传媒� whether that means women or other minority representation,sa国际传媒� she added. sa国际传媒淭hatsa国际传媒檚 the world we live in and I think that all public service should represent that diversity.sa国际传媒�
Campbell River fire chief Thomas Doherty agrees: sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 great to create some more diversity,sa国际传媒� he said.
sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 well known that theresa国际传媒檚 not a lot of females in the fire service, particularly in the suppression side of things. I think bringing that awareness up and getting the interest out to the younger groups to let them know that there are options out there and career paths,sa国际传媒� Doherty continued. sa国际传媒淲e want to make sure that we give them all the right tools to guide them into what theysa国际传媒檙e interested in doing.sa国际传媒�
The camp started as a mentorship idea just over a decade ago, and expanded over time to be a four-day camp. Things have had to be cut back a bit this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but they are still able to provide a few days of education.
Besides the basic skills like SCBA (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus) knowledge, auto extrication and fire extinguishing techniques, the campers also get to meet women who are already a part of the industry and build connections for their future.
sa国际传媒淭he idea is that if they have any ambitions to go in that area they could get a sense of what might be required, and they get to see women doing that work and talk to them about the challenges they face in terms of integrating in to a non-traditional role,sa国际传媒� Rogers explained. sa国际传媒淭hey get to see women who came in in the early days, women who came in recently and talk about the shift of the mentality and tolerance for women in the role and the way the job has changed over time.
sa国际传媒淐ertainly, firefighting isnsa国际传媒檛 what it was 40 years ago. What are those new expectations, what does the new landscape look like and what are the variety of opportunities?sa国际传媒�
This yearsa国际传媒檚 camp will be on Aug. 14 and 15 in Vancouver. Applications will be accepted until June 1.
sa国际传媒淲hen young girls apply, we link them with their local fire departmentsa国际传媒� and they get sent to camp on that fire departmentsa国际传媒檚 dime as somewhat of a representative of their region. Thatsa国际传媒檚 how we make it accessible to young women who may not be able to participate,sa国际传媒� Rogers explained.
More information on Camp Ignite is available at their .
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