At the Eugene Springfield Fire Department Training Station, campers are gearing up to put out a practice car fire.
They get dressed in full firefighting attire, ride in a fire engine, deploy hoses, and work with a partner to put out the blaze. It’s one of the activities at the annual Eugene Springfield Fire Department's Young Women’s Fire Camp.
The camp is a five day hands-on firefighting training camp for women and female identifying individuals ages 16 through 19. The Eugene Springfield Fire Department has hosted the camp for the past 15 years.
Heidi Carson with Eugene Springfield Fire manages the camp. Carson said the camp is a safe environment to introduce young women to the career of firefighting.
“They learn how to handle fire hose, how to put up ladders, how to use some of our tools, how to break through doors, breach through walls,” said Carson.
Carson said the goal of the camp is to empower young women to pursue traditionally male-dominated careers like firefighting, and to show them they can learn new, sometimes intimidating skills.
“We want them to see good examples of strong females in the fire service and hopefully encourage them to join the fire service in the future,” said Carson. “And even if they don't end up being interested in a career in one of those avenues, I think every camper that attends leaves with an increased self-confidence and empowerment.”
Krow Christensen is one of this year’s campers, who attended to learn the realities of being a firefighter before pursuing it as a career.
“So this camp was just to affirm that this is what I want to do and that this is right for me, and to face my fears and to push my boundaries and get comfortable with it,” said Christensen.
Christensen said one of the most intimidating activities was the small spaces maze where the campers put on a full set of firefighting gear and crawled through a maze with low visibility.
“Going through the maze in my full gear, my oxygen tank and everything really pushed past what I thought I could do,” said Christensen. “But with my instructors there to help me, I only feel more inspired to go and do this for the rest of my life.”
The department also invited other public services to speak to the campers about how they collaborate with firefighters. Guests included the police department, paramedics team, and the Springfield City Manager.
Camper Rebecca Brock found the camp through her school job fair, and said she wishes more people knew about it.
“Even if you don't want to go into this, it's very empowering and strengthening,” said Brock. “You really push past your limits and you meet a lot of cool people, even if it's not a career you want to do.”
Many of the camp instructors are Eugene Springfield firefighters who attended Young Women’s Fire Camp before joining the fire service. Campers are able to see people who started in their position become successful firefighters and role models for the next generation.
To be eligible for the camp, you must be a female identifying individual ages 16 through 19. To learn about next year’s camp and the application process, call the Eugene Springfield Fire Department at 541-682-7155.
