Gaston hosts first female firefighting camp

(JULY 26, 2019) Although some people use the word "firemen" to talk about the people who fight fires, not all firefighters are men. Women are firefighters, too. And recently, women had a new opportunity for training at the Fire-Up Bootcamp in Gaston, a small town west of Portland.

This is the first year of the camp for women 18 and older. It was held July 20 and 21, 2019. Participants met other women interested in firefighting. They discussed their career and and practiced firefighting drills. Some participants simply wanted to know more about the job before they made a decision to follow that career path. Some are already volunteer firefighters. Others are just starting work as a firefighter and wanted to connect with other women doing the same kind of job.

According to its website, the mission of the Fire-Up Bootcamp is to provide an introduction to the fire service for women through networking, hands on practical experience, and career coaching with a goal of increased fire service exposure to encourage volunteering and or career ambitions for its attendees.

“People need to have role models, and there are just not a lot of women in the fire service,” said Ila Borders. She works with Cornelius Fire Department, and she is one of the camp’s instructors and organizers. “There are some fire departments that do have 10% women and it’s just like, oh my gosh, it’s unheard of. We’re looking at usually around 3%.”

60 women applied for the camp, but there was room for only 16 this year. They learned about the protective clothing used when fighting fires. They practiced using the equipment, such as ladders and hoses. And, of course, they extinguished real fires, too.

“You see little girls, or even women, who are like, ‘I didn’t know that women could do this,’” Borders said. “So we’re trying to say, ‘Hey, we’re you. This is the most awesome profession in the world. Let’s share this