Firefighter Camps for Girls and Young Women: A Directory

Camp Fury is a collaborative effort between the Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona, Northwest Fire District, Oro Valley Police Department, Tucson Fire Department, and the Tucson Police Department that provides teenage girls the opportunity to train alongside female firefighters and law enforcement personnel.

During Camp Fury the girls learn search-and-rescue skills, crime scene investigation techniques, and perform physical fitness drills. The camp also provides the campers with exposure to the women who are breaking down barriers and stereotypes in these non-traditional career fields.

Contact: Ellen Pott at epott@girlscoutssoaz.org

Camp Cinder operates in San Luis Obispo County, CA for girls age 15-18 years old to participate in fire related activities. Their mission is to introduce young women to the fire service through activities such as:

• Providing hands on experience in a positive, team building environment;
• encouraging and supporting self-confidence and a can do work ethic;
• Experiencing structural firefighter activities;
• Experiencing rope/ocean rescue activities;
• Experiencing SLO City Ladder Truck Operations; and
• Experiencing wildland firefighter activities.

Contact: April Mangals (Camp Director) or Stephanie DiNinni (Program Coordinator) via email at CampCinder@CampCinder.org or visit: www.CampCinder.ORG

Culver City Fire Department Girls Camp. Our Mission: To introduce young girls, ages 14-18, to a career in public safety.  The program is designed to provide individuals with a realistic hands-on introduction to firefighting & EMS skills.  Over two days campers learn how to wear personal protective equipment, climb ladders, pull fire hose, CPR and more.  Each student is supervised by firefighters in a safe and physically challenging environment with an emphasis on building self-confidence and fortitude. Camp Activities include:

Los Angeles Fire Department Girls Camp. Open to young women ages 14-18, this camp is a two-day weekend program facilitated by female firefighters and cadets from the LAFD.

The NorCal Girls First Alarm Fire Camp is a two-day program designed for participants ranging from grades 9-12. Participants get hands on orientation and training with actual firefighting tools and equipment, as well as classroom instruction. Active duty women firefighters from the Bay Area and across the West Coast bring their experience and expertise to the camp as instructors.

SDFD Girls empowerment Camp. The dates for this San Diego-based camp in 2020 are April 4^th and 5^th 2020.

Summer Heat is a is an annual weeklong day camp that accommodates 16 to 24 girls between the ages of 15-19 that’s hosed by the City of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Summer Heat introduces these young women to career opportunities in the fire service. During camp, the women develop confidence, enhance leadership skills, and broaden their problem solving abilities. This is an exciting opportunity for young women to develop leadership skills, community awareness, and lasting friendships.

Contact: Rachael Staebell at RStaebell@springsgov.com

The Connecticut Fire Academy’s Introduction to the Fire Service (ITTFS) Program was designed to provide high school students with an opportunity to learn more about the profession by attending a residential camp and performing training evolutions at the Connecticut Fire Academy. Over nearly 20 years, the program has evolved from the two original five-day sessions each summer to three, six-day residential sessions per summer. Many alumni have moved on to become full members of their Fire Departments, have attended college in Fire and EMS programs and have earned employment as career Firefighters.

Contact Ian Tenney, Program Coordinator, at ian.tenney@ct.gov

Fire School Summer Camps–Delaware. It might be one of our smaller U.S. states, but it’s big on fire school summer camps with TWO! Over the past few years, the Delaware State Fire School has developed camps to help introduce local youth into the world of the Fire and Emergency Services.

Junior Firefighter. Camp Dates: June 23rd – 25th, 2020 – Cost: $50 The DSFS Junior Fire Camp was developed to let kids ages 13 to 17, experience training available to the Fire and Rescue Service.

Camp Fury–Delaware. Camp Dates: August 7th – 9th, 2020 – Cost: FREE. Camp Fury Delaware introduces the field of emergency services to young women early in their lives, and supports the women in public safety fields. Camp Fury isn’t “just” a summer camp, it is a leap in the right direction for inclusiveness among public safety professionals in and around our state.

Camp Brave Heart. The Iona McGregor Fire Protection and Rescue District (Fort Myers, Florida area) has announced its inaugural girls’ empowerment camp, Camp Brave Heart, will be held Friday, March 13, 2020. Camp Brave Heart will be geared toward girls in grades 5^th through 8^th. The camp has a limit of 30 campers and registration is on a first come, first served basis.

The hope of Camp Brave Heart is to build confidence, work on team building & bonding, and introduce the girls to the many career paths that are available to females in the fire service. We hope each camper will leave knowing the sky’s the limit!

Women in the fire service from across Florida will be there to serve as camp counselors to share in this unique opportunity with the campers.

Interested? Email Megan Contreras at contreras@ionafire.com. She will confirm your child’s spot via email. In the email, please include your child’s first and last name and the grade she is in this year.

Camp Ignite–Charlotte (NC). Focuses on the development of teamwork, self-confidence, and leadership skills in young women in grades 9-12. The 2020 camp will run June 16-20 at the at the Charlotte Police and Fire Academy.

Camp Fully Involved is a physically challenging, aggressive hands-on, live-in week long summer camp directed towards young women between the ages of 14 (and having completed the 8th grade) and 20 who are interested in exploring the career of a firefighter. No experience or affiliation with a fire department is required, and young women who do not have any affiliation with the fire service are encouraged to apply. There is no residency requirement for attendance and Camp Fully Involved encourages young women from all over the world to apply!

Contact: info@campfullyinvolved.com or Camp Fully Involved, PO Box 793, Merrimack, NH 03054

Camp Fully Involved—New Hampshire. 2020 Camp dates June 26; July 10, 17, 24, and 31 with graduation July 31.

Phoenix Fire Camp conducted by Fire Service Women of New York State is a camp for young women who are interested in the fire service. Phoenix Fire Camp was launched in 2007 by Fire Service Women of New York State (FSWNYS) to address the issue of diversity in the fire service, specifically the challenges of recruiting and retaining women.

The program—an annual week-long overnight camp for girls ages 14-19—nurtures interest in, and education about, careers in the fire service for women. Phoenix Fire Camp was the first camp of its

Contact: Fire Service Women of New York State for an application http://www.fswnys.org

Camp Fierce Firefighting Camp for Women. Sponsored by the Tulsa (Okla.) Fire Department, it is a two-day camp for women 15-years-of-age and above who want to learn more about the fire service. Check it out on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/CampFierce/

Portland Metro Fire Camp (PMFC) is a Portland, Oregon based camp now in its 12^th annual year. The camp started in 2009 with just 14 participants and has grown into a camp held twice a year (one in June sponsored by Portland Fire & Rescue and the other in August sponsored by Tualatin Valley Fire &Rescue) each with between 35 – 50 participants every year for a total of 70 – 100 campers annually.

PMFC is operated by professional female firefighters from up and down the west coast. PMFC’s mission is to develop, support, and conduct an annual camp for young women in a collaborative and supportive fire service environment. Our goal is to increase the awareness of camp participants for firefighting and other nontraditional career paths for women and empowering the women who attend PMFC.

For More Information Contact: Portlandmetrofirecamp@gmail.com

Camp Houston Fire is a community outreach and long-range recruiting tool for promoting interest in young women for the Fire Service. The goal of Camp Houston Fire is to show young girls that the fire service is a great career for women. The campers are exposed to women currently in the fire service who help build enthusiasm, showing potential firefighters the special camaraderie they enjoy, and giving them the power to go back and spread the good word that Girls Fight Fire Too.

Contact: Laura Hunter, Director. Visit www.camphoustonfire.com

Houston Fire Department – Youth Fire OPS In October of 2013 the Houston Fire Department held its inaugural “Youth Fire Ops” camp. “Youth Fire Ops” is an interactive recruiting tool used to recruit and raise awareness about career opportunities in the Houston Fire Department for college-bound women of the Greater Houston Area. Participants participated in simulated fire suppression evolutions to encourage confidence and awareness that they too can compete and succeed in the occupation of firefighting. Contact: Laura Saavedra at laura.saavedra@houstontx.gov

Camp Blaze–Seattle. While Camp Blaze is offered in the fire service setting, it is merely our medium. The intent of Camp Blaze is not to recruit firefighters (though we secretly hope every camper falls in love with our profession)! It is our mission to EMPOWER, INSPIRE, and SUPPORT STRONG WOMEN LEADERS. There is no greater reward for us than to see Camp Blaze campers return to their community and make the world a better place.

In July of 1999, the first Fire Service Mini Camp was hosted by the San Diego Fire and Life Safety Department. The team leaders from that camp decided to form Camp Blaze to create a free, annual camp for young women to experience what a career in the fire service might be like.

Camp Blaze offers campers the opportunity to experience: live fire training, using portable fire extinguishers, aerial ladder climbing, and search and rescue, as well as interviewing techniques, rappelling and hose handing team-building exercises.

Contact: http://www.campblaze.com

Camp Ignite-British Columbia. Camp Ignite is a four-day camp that educates and inspires young women to follow their dreams.The camp is open to British Columbia (BC) girls in grades 11-12 (ages 16-18 ), and gives them an introduction to the world of firefighting.

Aside from firefighting, each participant will learn about fitness, nutrition, health and teamwork.This year’s camp will run from August 6th to August 9th, 2020. Camp Ignite is supported by its BC sponsors and fire departments – so there are no costs and no barriers to participate.

Every other year during spring break, Pender Island Fire/Rescue, in association with Salt Spring Island Fire/Rescue, guides a group of 16 courageous youths (boys and girls between the ages of 15 – 18) through an intense week of hands-on fire/rescue training at the Gulf Islands Fire/Rescue Cadet Camp

Firefighter training has been shown to be a great way to challenge teens – mentally and physically – and this unique boot camp has helped its graduates reach new levels of confidence, self-esteem, strength, teamwork, and initiative. Their rigorous instruction includes structure fires, auto extrication, high angle rope rescue, search and rescue, medical first response and other related skills, totaling over 100 hours of training. Although there are a handful of Fire Cadet programs across Canada, the Gulf Islands Fire/Rescue cadets live, work and play with firefighters and community mentors 24 hours a day for 6 consecutive days.

Contact: Brigitte Prochaska – Information Officer Gulf Islands Fire/Rescue Youth Camp, b.prochaska@telus.net

Camp FFIT—Ottawa is a week-long day camp for young women between the ages of 15 and 19 run by Ottawa Fire Services with the support and assistance of Fire Service Women Ontario. Camp FFIT provides young women an opportunity to find out what it takes to be a firefighter – including physical fitness, being a team-player and possessing a strong work ethic. Throughout the camp, instructors offer guidance, discuss the importance of community involvement and volunteering in their neighborhoods, or city/township at large and impress upon them the importance of being judgment free when dealing with the public, regardless of the situation.

Contact: www.ottawa.ca

Ember Fire Academy is a free, intensive program for women 16+ years of age. You will experience the most challenging and exciting tasks in firefighting and first response in a safe and supportive environment.

The 2020 academy will be held July 27th to August 1st with daily sessions from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It will be based at the Golden Horn (YT) Fire Department with one overnight stay in Carcross while working out of the Carcross (YT) Fire Department.

Camp Bailout is run by the fire service women of Metro-West to encourage young women to become more involved in the Fire and EMS services, either as a career or volunteer. The curriculum is designed to provide young women a safe, interactive and physically challenging environment to gain strength and knowledge while building confidence and leadership skills. Every year, young women are invited to join this FREE camp to explore their options in this wonderful and rewarding profession.

Girl’s Future Firefighter Camp. 2020 Camp dates are June 26, July 10,17,24,31 with graduation July 31. I’m working on updating the website.