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㽶ƵֱCamp Ignite㽶Ƶֱ helps young B.C. women pursue firefighting careers

This year㽶Ƶֱs camp will be on Aug. 14 and Aug. 15 in Vancouver

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 it㽶Ƶֱs like and learn some basic skills.

㽶ƵֱIt㽶Ƶֱs important that we represent the diversity in the communities that we serve,㽶Ƶֱ said Campbell River firefighter Debra Rogers, who also works as communications and correspondence coordinator for Camp Ignite. 㽶ƵֱI think women have a lot to bring to the table. It㽶Ƶֱs not just brute strength anymore. We do a lot of medical calls, there㽶Ƶֱs cultural issues that need to be addressed that sometimes women can better address, especially in larger centres.㽶Ƶֱ

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㽶ƵֱIt㽶Ƶֱs important to have the diversity 㽶Ƶֱ whether that means women or other minority representation,㽶Ƶֱ she added. 㽶ƵֱThat㽶Ƶֱs the world we live in and I think that all public service should represent that diversity.㽶Ƶֱ

Campbell River fire chief Thomas Doherty agrees: 㽶ƵֱIt㽶Ƶֱs great to create some more diversity,㽶Ƶֱ he said.

㽶ƵֱIt㽶Ƶֱs well known that there㽶Ƶֱs 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,㽶Ƶֱ Doherty continued. 㽶ƵֱWe want to make sure that we give them all the right tools to guide them into what they㽶Ƶֱre interested in doing.㽶Ƶֱ

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.

㽶ƵֱThe 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,㽶Ƶֱ Rogers explained. 㽶ƵֱThey 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.

㽶ƵֱCertainly, firefighting isn㽶Ƶֱt 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?㽶Ƶֱ

This year㽶Ƶֱs camp will be on Aug. 14 and 15 in Vancouver. Applications will be accepted until June 1.

㽶ƵֱWhen young girls apply, we link them with their local fire department㽶Ƶֱ and they get sent to camp on that fire department㽶Ƶֱs dime as somewhat of a representative of their region. That㽶Ƶֱs how we make it accessible to young women who may not be able to participate,㽶Ƶֱ Rogers explained.

More information on Camp Ignite is available at their .

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Marc Kitteringham

About the Author: Marc Kitteringham

I joined Black press in early 2020, writing about the environment, housing, local government and more.
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