Concord, CA – On Saturday, May 17, the Contra Costa Fire Foundation and Contra Costa County Fire Protection District held its inaugural ceremony for the first ever Girls Empowerment Camp.
According to President of the Contra Costa Fire Foundation, Chris Toler, the camp, which was held at the Contra Costa Fire Training Center in the City of Concord, the was initially inspired by programs held in Southern California.
The Girls Empowerment Camp is a 2-day camp for female teens between the ages of 14 and 18, designed to motivate them to pursue careers in public safety by providing exposure to many aspects of public safety and fire services. It was aimed to provide hands-on training with firefighting tools and equipment where the campers will practice real-life scenarios, such as cutting ventilation holes in roofs with chainsaws. They will also receive CPR/AED training and learn medical emergency interventions.
Toler said that another goal of Girls Empowerment Camp is to provide mentorship and show the campers that female firefighters are needed in public safety.
“We do have the stereotypical big guy coming in, but we need all types of kinds and sizes for our district to be as efficient and effective as possible,” Toler said. “That includes having female firefighters on our front lines.”
With roughly 10 to 12 female firefighters within Contra Costa County Fire, Toler said that they are “planting a seed” with the Girls Empowerment Camp in hopes to recruit more female firefighters. In addition to the camp, the Contra Costa Fire Foundation is also in the early stages of creating a women’s boot camp for women of hireable age to prepare women for fire testing.
Fire Chief Lewis Broschard, County Board of Supervisors Candace Andersen, Shanelle Scales-Preston, and Ken Carlson, as well as City of Concord Mayor Carlyn Obringer shared words of encouragement to the 50 campers at the ceremony.
“You are the future of this community and we are proud to invest in you, learn from you and cheer you on,” Supervisor Scales-Preston said. “This camp is a statement that says loud and clear that young women and all youth belong in this uniform and you belong. You belong in this leadership, you belong in this profession.”
Recent Contra Costa County Fire Headlines:
- May 18 – Firefighters Battle 50 Acre Vegetation Fire in Brentwood
- May 9 – Firefighters Limit Brentwood Vegetation Fire to 10-Acres
- May 7 – Brentwood Planning Commission Denies Downtown Fire Station
- May 1 – Firefighters Battle 5 Acre Vegetation Fire in Brentwood
