A southern Ont. camp wants to encourage young women in Sudbury to become firefighters

A southern Ontario camp hopes to encourage more teen girls to think about firefighting as a career option, in Sudbury. 

At the moment, Sudbury has about 116 career firefighters and only five are women. The numbers are similar when it comes to volunteer firefighters. Currently, about 195 volunteer firefighters are in the city, of which 17 are women. 

Monique Belair is the founder of Camp Molly Firefighter and Belleville, Ont.'s fire chief. 

Belair launched the camp when she was deputy fire chief in Oakville in 2019. She created a partnership with fire departments in Burlington, Milton and Halton Hills in southern Ontario. 

"There was an issue with the lack of knowledge and support for young females, especially, between the ages of 15 and 18, in high school when they're trying to make a decision about their career and what their post-secondary would look like," Belair said. 

"Many of the young girls that I've dealt with have gone to their teachers or guidance counsellors, their parents and said they've expressed an interest in being part of the fire service and being told they can't because they're not strong enough, it's not a job for women." 

Belair said she was shocked to hear that young women continue to face the same gender stereotypes she had dealt with when she first entered the field in 1986. 

The camp is four days long and geared to young women between age 15 and 18. She said the camp touches on different roles in the fire service, not just firefighting. 

The camp also invites male firefighters to come in and show the campers how well male and female firefighters can work together, to help dispel the myth that men don't want women to join the service.

Belair said the camp has grown a lot since it first began, with eight camps across the province being planned for this summer. 

Craig Lawrence, acting chief deputy of Sudbury's fire service, said: "It allows [girls] to ... really feel confident that possibly, firefighting is a possible career that they could enter into. 

"We have a need for — in Sudbury — both career and volunteer firefighters. And what a great way for the long-term recruitment process to introduce ... young women to the idea that they could potentially enjoy a rewarding and exciting career in fire fighting." 

Lawrence said 35 young women will be coming to the training grounds in Sudbury in August.

He said the service recently hired a "fair amount" of new recruits that are women. But he said it's ideal to encourage young women earlier on, when they're thinking about their future.