ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A group of teen girls learned what it takes to be a firefighter and gained a lot of self confidence this week thanks to a pilot program in St. Petersburg called Camp Ignite.
“I cut cars and we put out fires,” said Ni'Asia Medley, one of the teen girls in Camp Ignite.
She continued “The most hard part is probably going down the building. It looks short but once you are on there your heart starts racing because you think you are going to fall."
“Yesterday [Monday] they got CPR certified. They are also repelling out of our training tower off the second floor. They are doing extrication training so they are cutting patients out of wrecked cars and also some hose work and extinguisher work,” said Lt. Nicole Howard with St. Petersburg Fire Rescue.
The teen girls learned lessons that go far beyond the physical duties of a firefighter.
“Women are very powerful and they can do anything a man can do,” said Medley.
“It’s kind of like when you see if you can do it feeling for these girls, so when you see these girls in different ranks that gives them the confidence to see that they can actually go out there and go after whatever it is they want to do,” said Lt. Howard.
“You were saying you wish you had something like this when you were growing up. Why is this so important for girls?” asked ABC Action News anchor Lauren St. Germain.
“It’s important they get an early start to their careers,” said Lt. Howard.
“After this camp, it encouraged me to probably join,” said Medley.
According to the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF), in 2024, about six percent of professional firefighters in the United States are women.
St. Petersburg Fire Rescue hopes a program like Camp Ignite will empower young girls and introduce them to a potential career in the fire service.
“Why do you think it's important to have camps like this for young women to go to,” asked St. Germain to Medley.
“It builds their self-esteem. It makes them want to do things they think they can’t do but they really can,” said Medley.
Lieutenant Howard says women make up about 12-percent of St. Petersburg Fire Rescue.
This program was launched in partnership with the Pinellas County Urban League as part of its EmpowHer initiative. Lt Howard says this is the first year they held this camp, but now they want to make it an annual event, possibly even twice a year.
