The Chesapeake Fire Department has a group of young recruits this week—20 local Girl Scouts are taking part in Camp Fury, a firefighting and emergency preparedness camp for girls. This is the first time that the Chesapeake Fire Department has hosted the camp, which is made possible through a partnership with Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast.
On Monday, August 8, the girls kicked off camp with an introduction to fire service, learning how to don turnout gear and forming squadron groups for the week. By the afternoon, the campers were taking on real firefighter challenges, including an aerial climb on a ladder truck, using a Halligan bar to make forcible entry through a door and carrying and operating a fire hose. The girls also took part in a first aid session, where they learned about caring for injuries and dealing with emergency situations, including wounds, sprains and anaphylactic shock.
“Getting to do the aerial climb on the ladder truck has been my favorite part so far,” Mackenzie Tate, a Chesapeake Girl Scout, said. “But there’s so much more we’re going to be doing this week, it’s hard to say what the best part will be.”
Later in the week, the campers will get the opportunity to try rappelling, take part in fire extinguisher training, participate in a vehicle extrication demonstration and spend a night at a fire station. The girls will also be introduced to nontraditional careers for women outside of firefighting through a tour of Chesapeake Regional Medical Center, a visit from Nightingale Regional Air Ambulance and guest speakers from the military.
The goal of Camp Fury is to introduce girls to firefighting as a career and give girls the chance to meet women in fields typically dominated by men, as well as give girls the opportunity to try new things and build self-confidence and teamwork skills. During the rest of the week at Camp Fury, girls will take part in search and rescue and fire extinguisher training, tour Chesapeake Regional Medical Center, get a visit from Nightingale, and hear from guest speakers from the FBI, Navy and more.
Camp Fury was brought to Chesapeake by Firefighter Paramedic Mandy George with the Chesapeake Fire Department. George volunteered at Camp Fury Hampton for the past three years and wanted to create a similar opportunity for girls on the Southside.
girl scouts of the colonial coast
