girl scouts of the colonial coast
Last week, a group of 18 go-getter Girl Scouts took part in
Camp Fury Hampton, a summer camp hosted by Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast
and City of Hampton Division of Fire & Rescue to introduce girls to
nontraditional careers for women, including firefighting, and provide them with
experiences to try new things, develop teamwork skills and build
self-confidence.
After a brief orientation, girls got started with firefighter
training first thing on Monday morning. At Hampton Fire Station 9, they climbed
an aerial ladder on a fire truck, rappelled four stories down a training tower,
took part in fire extinguisher training and competed in a bucket brigade
challenge. The entire week girls learned firsthand just how challenging
firefighting can be. From learning how to tie knots to how to carry ladders,
this group of leaders worked hard every day at camp. They also took part in CPR
and first aid training, enjoyed a boat outing with the City of Hampton Division
of Fire & Rescue and practiced search and rescue missions. Highlights of
the week included touring the Nightingale helicopter, staying overnight at Hampton
fire station and completing confined space training, a new addition to the Camp
Fury Hampton experience this year.
Throughout the week, the Girl Scouts were faced with challenges
that encouraged them to work as a team to overcome various obstacles.
“This gives me a sense of accomplishment,” fourth year camper
Lavender Oman said. She keeps coming back to Camp Fury Hampton for many
reasons, including the opportunity to talk to different people from the
community.
In addition to learning about firefighting, girls at Camp Fury
spent a day with the Hampton Police Department, where they learned about
forensics, internet safety, defensive tactics and homeland security. They also
watched a demonstration by the K-9 unit.
Girl Scout Cassandra Madden from Troop 1225 loved Camp Fury
Hampton so much, she came back for a second year! She enjoyed the new additions
to camp and loved the plan fire simulation at Norfolk International Airport.
The concept of Camp Fury originated in Arizona in 2009 with the
leadership of Assistant Fire Chief Laura Baker and Fire Chief Cheryl Horvath
who both still serve in Arizona. The camp was brought to the Hampton Roads
region five years ago by Medic Firefighter Salvio and Captain Denee Nichols of
Hampton Division of Fire & Rescue. Since the inception of Camp Fury Hampton,
Medic Firefighter Salvio and Captain Nichols have helped fellow female
firefighters start Camp Fury Chesapeake and Camp Fury Norfolk.
To honor five years of Camp Fury Hampton, Salvio and Nichols invited
Horvath to join the celebration last week.
“To reach this five year milestone is a huge accomplishment,”
Horvath said. “We need more women in public safety careers. The ‘why’ behind
this program is more important now than it ever has been.”
Camp Fury is designed to immerse girls in a supportive,
all-girl environment where they can develop leadership skills and confidence as
they embrace the unfamiliar, take risks and discover what they are capable of.
“The first day was scary because I’m afraid of heights, but all
of the people around me being encouraging helped me get to where I needed to
go,” Girl Scout Cayla Duncan said. Cayla had a blast at camp and is planning to
go again next year.
Congratulations Camp Fury Hampton on five years and thank you
to all of the generous donations that help make the camp possible.
