HALIFAX – Courtney Benjamin got a first-hand glimpse of what life as a firefighter looked like on Friday.
The 15-year-old from Advocate Harbour aspires to be a firefighter and, as a participant in Camp Courage, got up close and personal with a fire, rappelled down the side of a building and squeezed through a small crawlspace.
“It is a little scary but I get a really big adrenaline rush doing it,” she said.
Camp Courage introduces young Nova Scotian women to careers in emergency response. Previous days have focused on careers in paramedicine and policing.
Read more: Camp Courage girls hope to overcome discrimination, stigma to become police officers
But on Friday, the 24 campers got a crash course in firefighting.
“They definitely have to be mentally strong to go into a burning building, when everybody else is coming out,” Benjamin said.
Campers were blindfolded and, as they hugged the wall, crawled their way through a makeshift house to find a dummy toddler.
In another exercise, they had to get on their hands and knees and weave their way through a maze, which is meant to mimic the confined spaces that firefighters sometimes face.
Participants then used some muscle, as they learned the ins and outs of forcible entry, and they tested their bravery rappelling down a four-storey building.
And, of course, the teens confronted fire.
Firefighters set up controlled blazes in a trailer and the teens took turns learning how to use the fire hose to put out the flames.
“It’s been a lot of fun. I really enjoy doing all the training exercises,” Benjamin said.
Her attitude is something that the Halifax Regional Fire Department wants to hear more of.
According to fire chief Doug Trussler, only seven per cent of career firefighters in the department are women. The number is close to 14 percent for volunteer firefighters.
Trussler said firefighting is a very male dominated profession, adding it was inspiring to see the young women tackle the activities.
“They get to see they can do this job. They can put their mind to it and they can do any of these things,” he said. “They’re going to know this is a viable career for them.”
Camp Courage founder Andrea Speranza, who is a firefighter, says she was impressed with how the group handled the difficult tasks.
“I’m proud. They don’t give up. They keep trying and they find different ways to accomplish tasks,” she said.
But, it was the campers who couldn’t stop gushing about the firefighters.
“They are definitely brave,” said 17-year-old Candice Tobin, of Timberlea.
Tobin plans to volunteer with a fire station after she finishes the camp.
“Just going into a burning building, you have to be brave. It’s so nice to see how much they think about others before themselves,” she said.
Victoria MacIntosh, of Tantallon, is considering becoming a firefighter.
The 17-year-old said the job is physically demanding and includes all kinds of challenges, but she acknowledged it’s all for a greater goal.
“You’re saving people. You’re getting people out of burning buildings. You’re in tight spaces. You have heavy equipment. It’s really just coming at you and it’s crazy,” she said.
For campers who don’t want to be firefighters, the hands-on experience has given them a greater appreciation of those who do it.
“It’s ridiculously hard,” said 18-year-old Julie Richard, of Dartmouth, after she came out of the crawlspace maze. “Honestly I have so much respect for them after this.”
“They have to be able to control themselves so well. They definitely have a lot of bravery and they’re very courageous,” Richard said.
“It’s really stressful,” said 15-year-old Debbie Nolte, of Bedford. “It’s just really humbling to see how you feel afterwards and how hard they must have to work to accomplish the things they have to do.”
The camp officially wraps up on Sunday with a graduation ceremony.
For more information about the camp, check out www.campcourage.ca.
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