Camp Fury Hampton

Hampton Division of Fire & Rescue Station 9 is abuzz with young recruits this week. It’s the third annual Camp Fury, a special summer camp session held in partnership between Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast and the City of Hampton Division of Fire & Rescue to introduce girls to firefighting and emergency preparedness techniques, as well as a variety of other nontraditional careers for women.

On Tuesday, day two of camp, the 25 girls challenged themselves to reach new heights as they completed an 85-foot aerial climb on the ladder truck and rappelled out of a fourth story window. Other activities during the day included fire extinguisher training, a ride on a fire engine and a presentation from Hampton’s emergency management department.

“I conquered my fear of heights,” Girl Scout Cadette Krystina Brook proudly shared after completing the aerial climb. “We’ve get to do a lot of things this week, but the climb and rappelling are what I was looking forward to most.”

Additional highlights for the week include a visit from Nightingale, bucket brigade competitions and an overnight at a fire station, complete with an early morning wakeup. The girls will also be spending a day with the Hampton Police Department, where they will learn about forensic science, crisis negotiation, internet safety, crime scene investigation and more.

Camp Fury is made possible through a partnership between Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast and the City of Hampton Division of Fire & Rescue. The idea for the camp was brought to Hampton Roads by Medic Firefighter Jami Salvio and Lt. Denee Nichols, who both work for the City of Hampton and learned about a firefighting camp for girls while attending a conference for women in the fire service in 2011. Salvio and Nichols continue to organize and lead the camp.

“We were able to add some new things to the camp this year to introduce girls to even more career options for their future,” Salvio said. “They’re getting to meet an attorney, Navy commander and NASA scientist, just to name a few of our guests at camp. Our goal at Camp Fury is to show girls that they can do anything.”

At Camp Fury, and at all Girl Scout camps, girls are immersed in a supportive, all-girl environment, where they develop leadership skills, build self-confidence and are more likely to try new things and take risks. Through their camp experience, girls also have the chance to develop teamwork skills, discover what they are capable of and develop new and lasting friendships.

There is still time to register to attend a Girl Scout camp session. Find more information at www.gsccc.org.