GOODYEAR, Ariz — More than two dozen high school girls attended Goodyear Fire Department's camp that aims to encourage women to join a career in fire services.
Lora Davis, one of the organizers and an engineer paramedic with the Goodyear Fire Department, said Camp Females in Responding Emergency Services, or (Camp F.I.R.E.S) started 10 years ago after the current fire chief shared the idea of starting the camp.
"Our goal is to kind of expose them to things that they've never really seen before or experienced before," Davis said. "It's a lot more about building that confidence to know that they can push themselves further than they probably think."
Davis said camp attendees could get CPR certification as well as learn team-building and leadership skills.
Addyson Fullerton said she first heard of the camp through social media and through firefighters who encouraged her to go.
This is Fullerton's second year attending the camp.
"For the first time I felt like I was really scared," Fullerton said. "I felt like I had to say the right things but it's totally not like that, it's such a great community."
Fullerton said the camp has allowed her and others to step outside their comfort zone.
Madalyn Samuel said it was her first year attending the camp and said what's most difficult is doing the activities in all her gear.
"I think it definitely made me respect everyone in the fire department, especially the women, because it's, it's a really hard thing to do, and we're not even doing all of it," Samuel said.
Meghan Golbach, captain paramedic at Goodyear Fire Department and an organizer, said in her own experience, she might have started her career sooner had she had the camp when she was in high school.
"I just think it can be intimidating for a lot of people and I think something like this camp gives opportunities to women and young ladies," Golbach. "If this is something you really want to do, you can do it."
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