Camp Molly inspires young women in Halton to explore career in fire services
Published July 23, 2021 at 4:17 pm
A career in fire services in Halton is one step closer for 30 young women.
The prospective firefighters, aged 15 to 18, have been selected to participate in Camp Molly, hosted by the Oakville Fire Department, in partnership with fire departments in Burlington, Milton and Halton Hills.
The four-day camp, being held September 23-26 at the Oakville Fire Department Training Campus for Emergency Excellence, offers the opportunity for young women to learn what it’s like to have a career in fire services.
“Thank you to all the young women who submitted their applications to participate in Camp Molly this year,” said Oakville Fire Chief Paul Boissonneault. “All of the essays we received were truly amazing and it was a difficult decision narrowing the field down to 30 participants.
“We can’t wait to welcome those of you who have been selected and we look forward to helping you explore a career in fire services.”
At the camp, the young women will be asked to complete a number of firefighting tasks, including:
Videos
- fire investigation
- communications
- public education and prevention
- catching fire hydrants
- hazardous material response
- search and rescue operations
- auto extrication rescues
- rope rescue
- forcible entry procedures
- water rescue
Camp Molly also provides the young women with an introduction into various career opportunities that are available including fire suppression, training, communications, fire prevention, fire investigators, public education, public information and media relations and fire code enforcement.
The participants will also take part in lunch and learn opportunities, with guest speakers that include Mabel’s Labels co-founder Julie Cole, Black Mentorship founder and director Evangeline Chima, Sani Gear owner Inge Pudelek, and motivational speaker “Unstoppable” Tracy Schmitt.
On Sunday, September 26, the camp will wrap up with the young women participating in a Combat Challenge competition, which highlights essential tasks of firefighting, as well a graduation ceremony.
Camp Molly is named after Molly Williams, the first female firefighter on record in North America.
For more information about Camp Molly, visit the Camp Molly page.
TOWN OF OAKVILLE PHOTO
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