Young women get a taste of a firefighting career at annual Oregon camp
By Caden Perry
July 15, 2023 1 p.m.
A participant at the 15th Annual Portland Metro Fire Camp holds on to a hose tightly as it gushes out water on July 14, 2023 at the Portland Fire & Rescue Training Center in Northeast Portland. The camp is the first of two to be held over the summer, introducing young women to the field of firefighting.
Caden Perry / OPB
A firefighter helps a Portland Metro Fire Camp camper put on her helmet for training exercises. This year's camp has 47 campers and 55 volunteer counselors — all female.
Caden Perry / OPB
A camp counselor instructs campers to put on their firefighting gear as the temperature pushed toward 90. Some of the counselors are alumni of the camp, and are now sharing skills they learned.
Caden Perry / OPB
Campers enter the search & rescue training at the camp. Trainees wear heavy smoke masks with little to no visibility and must bring dummy bodies out of the house in a short amount of time.
Caden Perry / OPB
Candace Grimes from Lake Oswego Fire shows campers how to use a Halligan bar to pry open a door. The Portland Metro Fire Camp takes campers through nine different essential firefighting skills.
Caden Perry / OPB
Campers handle a vehicle extrication tool during camp. All of the stations at the camp are taught by professional female firefighters to show the campers what it means to be a firefighter in a male-dominated industry.
Caden Perry / OPB
Two campers work together to pry open a door during training. Portland Metro Fire Camp receives support from many organizations in the are, such as cleaning supplies and vehicles, to keep the camp free for participants.
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Stephanie Adams, left, and Christine Pezzulo dance with their Halligan bars at the Portland Metro Fire Camp on July 14, 2023. Adams and Pezzulo have been counselors since the first Portland Metro Fire Camp in 2009.
Caden Perry / OPB
The Portland Metro Fire Camp counselors and campers pose for a photo on top of the aerial ladder on July 14, 2023. This is the 15th year of the Fire Camp in Portland and the 5th year for the Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue's Fire Camp that takes place July 21-23.
Caden Perry / OPB
Portland Fire & Rescue kicked off the 15th annual Portland Metro Fire Camp at its training facility on Friday in Northeast Portland. The camp, the first of two offered by Portland Fire & Rescue, is aimed at young women ages 16-22 years old, with the goal of introducing more women into the mostly male field of firefighting.
During the three-day camp, 47 campers will receive training in skills such as search and rescue, hose handling, chainsaw use, aerial ladder climbing and more.
“We went through the fires in 2020 and I realized if the fire went down in the canyon and came into our area, we could’ve lost the majority of our town,” said Abbey Tallent, a 17-year-old camper from Silverton, Oregon. “I would love to be a volunteer firefighter up in Silverton to help my community.”
Katie Linton has been a camp counselor for the fire camp for 10 years. “Seeing the difference from the day one — some of them are a little overwhelmed and not sure about getting in there — to the last day of camp where all of a sudden they’re grabbing tools, they’re going for it and their confidence is up,” she said.
The camp staff is made up entirely of female firefighters. Hearing from female firefighters directly is a key part of the program, in addition to the hands-on experience. Firefighting is still a predominantly male-dominated field, and camp organizers hope that taking part in the PF&R camps will help more women enter the industry.
