VIDEO/PHOTOS: As a way to honor the legacy of the first female firefighters who joined St. Petersburg Fire Rescue in 1982, St. Pete Fire Chief Keith Watts worked with the city to host a summer camp for girls. “Nationally, women make up less than 5% of the fire service,” shared Chief Watts, “This camp was put together in order to help foster the next generation of leaders and female firefighters.” Camp Ignite in St. Petersburg wrapped up this week having put 20 teenage girls through the paces of being a firefighter. Captain Nicole Howard took part in their training over the week and knows a little bit of what each camper was going through.
“They start the class a little timid, a little reserved and then once they start pushing themselves a little bit and accomplishing some goals or some activities that they didnโt think they were going to doโฆ but they do it theyโre proud of themselves, and it makes us all very excited for them,” she shared. The campers learned about fire hose operations, vehicle extrication, rope rescue drills and other physical tasks that firefighters do every day. “We have several stations that they will rotate through,” said Chief Watts, “We want them to kinda touch and feel and see what itโs like to be a firefighter.”
