Firefighting has traditionally been a male-dominated profession, but that hasn’t deterred 18-year-old Toledo High School graduate Brynn Davis or the 21 other female firefighters who attended Camp Blaze, a weeklong firefighting camp for young women, in North Bend this summer.
“I went in thinking I wanted to be a firefighter. Now, I know,” Davis said of her experience at Camp Blaze, which ran from July 28 to Aug. 3.
The biennial camp combines leadership training with fire academy lessons, allowing teenage girls between the ages of 16 and 19 to participate in live fire training, vehicle extraction, repelling, forcible entry, aerial ladder climbing, hose handling, patient transport and more.
“Founded in 2000, this year marks the 11th Camp Blaze Fire Camp, and during the week, our campers have been challenged, encouraged, supported and empowered to become the very best they could be,” Camp Blaze Incident Commander Kristine Larson, who is also the assistant chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department, said in a written statement included in the camp’s 2024 graduation program.
Davis started considering a career as a firefighter her junior year of high school when, unsure of what she wanted to pursue for her required job shadow, her grandfather, retired Toledo Police Department Reserve Sergeant Randy Pennington, put her in touch with Lewis County Fire District 15 Lieutenant Patrick Jacobson to see if she could shadow one of his shifts.
“It was one of the busy days, so I got to see my first seizure and intubation, and I helped fight a brush fire,” Davis recalled. “... I was like, ‘Wow, this is really cool, I think I want to do this.’”
Davis said Pennington was her biggest inspiration for entering the fire service.
“I aspire to be as good of a person as he is one day,” Davis said.
Davis began volunteering at Lewis County Fire District 15 in Winlock in February, but since she was under the age of 18 at the time, she wasn’t allowed to participate in training or go out in the field.
Her mom happened to learn about Camp Blaze from a colleague while applications were open for the 2024 camp, and Davis was able to turn in her application on time.
“It was a whole application process, like, you had to write an essay about why you want to do this,” Davis said. “They definitely go through and handpick who they want there.”
Davis was among the 22 young women selected from applicants across the country to participate in the 2024 camp.
Davis recalled meeting two Yelm residents she knew from high school FFA events, as well as a Fort Worth, Texas resident.
The campers were joined by volunteers and fire personnel — predominantly women — from 47 different fire departments across the country, including the Anchorage, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle fire departments.
One of the biggest highlights of the camp, Davis said, was being in an environment where women are supporting each other and proving to themselves, their fellow campers and instructors that women have what it takes to be firefighters.
“That was a big thing, proving that we can do it as much as they can … This was meant for girls,” Davis said. “... Everybody was united. I feel like I have sisters from all over.”
Davis was particularly inspired by a volunteer instructor Anja Hinds of the Sacramento Fire Department who took Davis “under her wing,” Davis said.
“I met her at forceful entry, and she was super impressed that I was able to do it by myself, as small as I am,” Davis said. “... After graduation, I got a picture with her and she gave me her phone number, like, ‘If you ever need anything, call.’”
Camp Blaze is free for participants to attend and is run entirely through donations and volunteer labor, meaning instructors had to take personal leave or vacation time to take part.
Davis herself plans to return to Camp Blaze as a volunteer in 2026.
When asked what she would say to other girls who are considering going into the firefighting field, Davis said, “Just do it. If you think it’s for you, just do it.”
Davis herself struggles with anxiety and asthma, which she worried would impede her as a firefighter. While there were a couple moments during training exercises where she struggled, Davis managed to push through.
“If I get to a spot where I don’t want to continue, I sit there (and) ask myself, ‘How bad do you want this? How bad do you want to be a firefighter?’ Like, those other guys, they’re not going to stop. So that’s how I push myself,” Davis said.
Positive self-talk, intentionally slowing her breathing and relying on her teammates are tools she’s learned to push through panic.
“In the mask, it’s like, ‘Calm down, you’re fine. There’s plenty of people around you that are going to help you. They’re on air too, they’re struggling just as much as you are. You can do this if they can do it,’” Davis said.
While Davis said she has previously had a fear of making mistakes, Camp Blaze helped her be more willing to put herself into learning experiences.
“So what if you do it wrong? There’s always going to be somebody there who’s going to teach you how to do it the right way. You just have to put yourself out there and try. You’re never going to learn anything if you don’t try,” she said.
Since completing the camp in early August, Davis has turned in her application to officially be a volunteer firefighter for Lewis County Fire District 15 in Winlock. She also plans to apply to EMT school through Cowlitz County EMS.
Additionally, Davis has delivered several presentations about her Camp Blaze experience and will potentially deliver a presentation at Onalaska High School during the upcoming school year.
For more information about Camp Blaze, visit https://www.facebook.com/BlazeFirecamp/.
The next camp will be held in the summer of 2026.
