Fire instructors tell me only 7 women across the Rogue Valley are involved in the profession, but the 2 and half day-long camp — hosted by local female firefighters and emergency service professionals — is trying to change that.
“I wanted to be a part of this because there are so few women in the fire service, it’s kind of nice to have another shoulder to lean on. Currently, I work with all men, so, it gets lonely,” said volunteer instructor, Kendra Pinnell. She is a student firefighter and EMT at Grants Pass Fire Rescue.
She’s working on starting a firefighting career position with the Medford Fire Department.
“You definitely have to be a bit strong-headed, you’re going to work with a bunch of guys. They’re all great, I enjoy being around them, the camaraderie but it’s different – you have to get used to living with all men.”
The free camp allows participants to practice the things professional firefighters deal with daily:
“We worked with the tank, we did CPR, we worked with the air tank and going up the tower, we got to repel out of the tower,” said participants, Morgan Dole and Raegan Hussey.
The 16-year-old Eagle Point High School students say they’re definitely thinking of joining the firefighting profession when they graduate.
“It’s been crazy, it’s been a lot harder than I thought it would be because they’ve put us in situations I didn’t think we’d be able to do,” said Dole.
Would they do the Rogue Girls Fire Camp again? “I would, yeah, definitely.”
And for young girls who are unsure about firefighting or attending the camp next year? Pinnell says, “I would tell them to go for it. Thankfully, for this, it introduces you to a bunch of women in the fire service.”
For more information on the camp, visit facebook.com/roguegirlsfire.
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