Current conditions unavailable
While two days isn’t nearly enough time to learn the full range of skills necessary to become a professional in the fire service, it’s more than enough time for young women to write the opening chapter of their journey in the industry.
The Capital Metro Girls Fire Camp proved this to be true, as 36 young women from ages 16 to 20 spent two days at the Mark Noble Regional Fire Training Center in Olympia to learn a number of skills in the fire service on Saturday and Sunday. The free biannual camp offered girls the opportunity to earn hands-on experience from female professionals in a supportive environment.
Volunteer professionals from around the state, including Lacey, Olympia, Tacoma, Central Mason, South Whidbey, Tumwater and West Thurston led a total of 12 stations for campers to cycle through during the weekend. On Saturday, campers learned how to throw ladders, spray fire hoses, perform CPR, use chainsaws, throw and roll layflat hoses, self-defense, and how to navigate an obstacle course wearing full firefighter gear equipped with a self-contained breathing apparatus.
On Sunday, participants sat down in a classroom for an interview prep to learn how firefighters got into the fire or emergency sphere. Campers also dove deeper into the more extreme skills of firefighting, including pulling dummies from buildings in a search-and-rescue simulation, using tourniquets during a trauma incident, extrication of patients in an auto accident simulation, climbing a 107-foot aerial ladder, rappelling down a building in a harness, and forceful entry.
The Capital Metro Girls Fire Camp, first hosted in 2017, is inspired by Camp Blaze in North Bend and aims to empower, inspire and support young female leaders, as well as to use firefighting as a means to show young women what they’re capable of.
That goal worked for W.F. West High School student campers Lin Craig, Azami Eckerson and Robyn Prescott, who all are entering their junior year and have aspirations of entering the fire or emergency service. The camp all but confirmed their passion for helping others and ignited their career goals thanks to the support from the crew leaders.
“There’s not been one mentor that has been too critical or scolding. They all have been patient, very kind and generous with their time and very thorough with what they’re teaching,” Prescott, 16, said. “I’ve found more enjoyment through it because I don’t feel so burdened with the expectation of doing everything perfectly. They’re expecting us to fail and then get back up and try it again.”
Eckerson’s dream is to be a firefighter paramedic, inspired by her grandmother Vikki, who served as a firefighter captain before becoming a nurse. She said while the camp has shown her how tough the job can be, she loved the challenge.
“I was in a car fire when I was very young. To a kid, it’s a traumatic and horrible experience. For me, it was the start of a goal because, in my mind, I was in danger. I didn’t know how to get out,” Eckerson, 17, said. “A woman came to my rescue, a stranger. I saw the hesitation in her eyes, but she still went and saved me. I want to be that person that helps that person. My goal in life is to help people in need and to be there at their worst moments and be that person that helps them.”
Craig, 16, said the camp is a great opportunity for girls whether or not they want to be firefighters. Her dream is to become an EMT and is starting a fire cadet program next year.
“It gives a place for people who don’t want to be firefighters and if you’re just a woman maybe looking for a sense of empowerment or you need self-defense,” she said. “It definitely shows people that females can be heroes as well.”
The Capital Metro Girls Fire Camp, or similar camps, has proven to be a career starter for attendees. Kayla Patti, a 2024 graduate from Black Hills High School, attended the camp in 2023 and now works as both a volunteer EMT for the McLane Black Lake Fire Department and as a full-time EMT for Olympic Ambulance. She grew up around the fire service as her father, uncle and grandfather all served.
“I always loved being around the station, running calls with my dad and seeing how every day is different. It was definitely the career path I’ve wanted since I was 14 or 15,” Patti said. “This camp was really a stepping stone toward that. It was really a confidence booster.”
Devyn Miller, a firefighter EMT for West Thurston Regional Fire Authority, participated in the Portland Metro Fire Camp 11 years ago and went through similar drills as the Capital Metro camp.
“It really inspired me, seeing all the women firefighters instructing and leading. It gave me the confidence to be able to pursue this as a career,” she said.
Benson said the event is not only an opportunity for campers to gain confidence and explore career opportunities, but it also gives female professionals an opportunity to grow as leaders and teachers, as well as an escape from intense environments that fire service presents. Every volunteer donates their time for the camp to invest in the future leaders of the fire and emergency services.
“I’ve seen several people get hired after joining a camp and then coming back and helping with the camp. Even if they don’t, I’ve heard from previous campers that they really enjoyed this opportunity and it gave them more confidence to take on whatever they ended up doing,” Benson said. “Campers leave here more confident and feeling like they can do whatever they put their mind to.”
