HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — In an industry where women make up less than 10% of the workforce, Henrico Fire is working to show young girls that firefighting is a viable career option through their second annual "Girls on Fire" camp.
"We're not trying to get them to become a firefighter just yet, but this is just to show them that it's out there and it's an option and just a little bit of what we do in a fun way," Ronny Martin said.
Martin created this free camp to reach younger generations. It provides girls entering the sixth, seventh and eighth grades a fun introduction to firefighting and emergency medical services.
The camp is split up for new campers and returning campers. First-timers are learning the basics of what firefighters do, while returning campers will learn about engine operations.
"So now that they were introduced. When they come back on Sunday, they're actually going to be a little bit more hands on. They're going to do different skills with the fire hose and actually pull a hand line and learn what it takes to put out a fire," Martin said. "They're going to learn about fire behavior and they'll actually get to see a little bit of live fire on Sunday. So once we get them hooked in with the new camp, we bring them back and try to get them more hands on to see if that's still something they're interested in."
Martin says the camp also aims to change the narrative around firefighting and plant the seed into young girls' minds that this is something they can do.
Learn more on Henrico County's website.
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