Camp Blaze is offering fire training for 24 teen girls who might want to become firefighters. On Tuesday, the campers rappelled buildings, climbed truck ladders and practice search and rescue measures.
Calla Westcott is a 17-year-old from Vashon Island. She’s going to be a senior this year at Vashon High School.
“I never thought I’d want to be a firefighter. It had never crossed my mind,” she admitted. “For a really, really long time I wanted to be a teacher,” she said.
Westcott credits her lacrosse teammates for helping her discover her passion for firefighting. Now she says she wants to become a firefighter paramedic, even though it’s a male dominated profession.
“We were cutting up cars using power tools,” she said.
The most recent numbers available from the National Fire Protection Association shows just 3.4 percent of firefighters are women.
“It’s rewarding for the campers because they get a chance to feel empowered to meet women in the fire service,” said Amina Saleh, who helps run this year’s camp, and is currently a Seattle firefighter.
Saleh said many campers do become firefighters. She explained she’s a prime example.
“I came in as a camper, a volunteer, last camp I was a crew leader and now I’m a director,” she said.
Camp instructors volunteer their time and come from throughout the West. Organizers say the camp is paid for through donations.
