Young women from across Greater Sudbury were able to challenge themselves for several days this past week by taking part in a fire service training camp.
The event is called Camp Molly, in honour of the woman recognized as being the first female firefighter in North America, volunteer Molly Williams, affiliated with the Oceanus Engine Company No.11 in lower Manhattan. Williams is also recognized as the first Black female firefighter in the U.S.
Camp Molly is a free, four-day camp dedicated to inspiring young female and non-binary youth aged 15 to 18 by showcasing firefighting as a viable and rewarding career, said a news release from the City of Greater Sudbury. Seven camps were held across Ontario this year. The Sudbury camp was the only one held in Northern Ontario.
Overseeing the training held in Azilda was Monique Belair, the founder and president of the Camp Molly Foundation. She is also the recently retired fire chief for the City of Kingston.
She said the program is important because not enough young women in Canada are stepping up to join the fire service.
"Of all the career choices for young women today, the fire service still has the lowest number of females per capita than any other career. Why is that? I think there's still a stigma or a myth out there that women aren't wanted in the fire service," said Belair.
She said some people are opposed to women in the fire service for reasons that they are not strong enough, not tall enough or that it is a job best suited to men.
"Are there men that exist like that? Absolutely, but for every one of them, there's 10 great ones. After 39 years, did I experience some obstacles? For sure, I did, but I've had some great, positive experiences, and it's from those moments that I want to pay it forward," said Belair.
"And that's why I started camp Molly; to open up a pathway to all the viable career choices. This is not a firefighting camp. This is a fire service camp. Big difference. It is not just about the practical side of firefighting.
“We do communications, fire investigations, public education, social media. They have to develop a social media public fire safety thing. They have to do communications like it's the whole game, along with, obviously, auto extrication, live fire training, survival ground training. So there is the whole career service, and that's what we're trying to expose them to.”
The 35 young women were immersed in firefighter training for four days from Thursday to Sunday at the Lionel E. Lalonde Centre in Azilda. The trainees, aged 15 to 19, were rotated through a series of activities based on Firefighter Level 1 training, said the news release. This included such things as Fire Investigation and Fire Dynamics, Medical Scenarios, Auto Extrication, Firefighter Survival and Forcible Entry, said the release.
With the close supervision of local firefighters who volunteered their time, individual trainees were given hands-on instruction in such activities as carrying heavy water hoses, hooking up to a pumper truck, entering the burn house, crawling from room to room and actually knocking down flames. There was also hands-on training in life-saving first-aid procedures and how to safely remove victims from automobile crashes.
Belair said the training at Camp Molly is designed to expose the trainees to every facet of firefighting, whether it is knowing how to rush into a burning home or doing in-depth follow up investigations. She said some students might opt to take the medical evolution and choose a career as a paramedic.
Belair thanked the City of Greater Sudbury for providing the facilities to host the camp. She added that corporate and business donations ensure that all the young women who apply for the camp get the chance to take the program. Belair said there is a tuition fee for those that can afford it, but for those who cannot afford the tuition, no one is turned away.