'It's Great To See Our Future': Firefighting Camp For Young Girls In Full Swing In Shasta County
SHASTA COUNTY (CBS13) — Camp Cinder in Shasta County is playing host to dozens of young ladies this week who are training to join the fire service.
"It's great to see our future," said Cal Fire spokesperson Suzi Brady.
Brady said it will be a grueling week ahead for teens at the camp, which is sponsored by Cal Fire.
"We're hosting an all-girls female camp to show them what it takes to be a future firefighter," Brady said.
The camp existed back in 2015 but was put on pause "due to funding and commitment of instructors," she said.
Cal Fire personnel volunteered to work the camp but with a busy fire season and a short staff, they couldn't commit the same resources as the 2015 summer season.
"[In] 2020, we wanted to bring it back, but we got that COVID," Brady said.
Brady and her staff didn't give up, garnering funding from private donations and agencies to bring the camp back in 2022.
"We're teaching them everything from leadership to wellness to wildland firefighting to structural firefighting," she said.
The camp includes young ladies ages 14-18 with aspirations to fight fire.
"We're getting our future firefighters ready for when we retire," Brady said.
Cal Fire has a total of 9,768 employees, and fewer than 13% are female.
"That's a low percentage, so anything we can do out there to help young girls follow in our footsteps is amazing," Brady said.
The camp runs through Friday. We asked if the 18-year-olds who finish the camp can join the fire service right away. We're told once they've passed all the testing and academies they are more than welcome to officially join the ranks.