AURORA, Colo. — Only 5% of career firefighters in the country are women, according to the U.S. Fire Administration.
Aurora Fire Rescue (AFR) stations beat the national average. 8% of Aurora's fire service is female. Chief Alec Oughton said out of 451 sworn positions, they have 36 women, but they want to do better.
It's why they created Camp Spark, where young ladies get inspired for careers in public safety.
"My favorite part of today has definitely been cutting the hood off of the car," said Jenna Tarsa, 15. "I'm here because I want to be a firefighter and get more experience."
Tarsa said she keeps pushing forward, even when the doubters tell her she can't.
"It's not if I'm going to be a firefighter. It's when I'm going to be a firefighter and I'll be saving you from that fire," she said.
Tarsa and 39 other girls, ages 12 to 18 from the Denver metro, were at Aurora Fire Rescue's training center on Saturday to learn more about a career in the fire service or public safety.
"It doesn't just tell them that they can do it. It shows them that they can do it," said Oughton. "They're going to be doing vehicle extrication drills. They're going to be putting out fires."
This is the fourth year of Camp Spark. Oughton said it's their biggest one yet, with more girls interested in learning more about becoming a firefighter than ever before.
"Let them know that this is a career path for you. This is a job that you can do and there are people out here who will support your effort in getting to that end goal," he said.
Aurora Fire holds camp for girls
The hope is Camp Spark will inspire more girls to get into public safety careers.
"The more people that you have around you that bring different world views, different perspectives, different experiences, different pathways to the industry, the stronger that team becomes," said Oughton.
At Camp Spark, women firefighters mentor the girls beyond just tactical training, but also in leadership skills.
"I always feel better about myself when I leave and I feel more confident in who I am and I always make a friend," said Tarsa.
She has gone to the camp three years in a row now. She said it would be her dream to serve Aurora and the community she grew up in.
"I would love to be the one to keep it safe that people can look to for motivation and know that I'll be there to help them," said Tarsa.
Oughton said there are two young women that are past Camp Spark participants who are now in the application process for Aurora Fire Rescue.
AFR received more Camp Spark applications than available spots for the first time this year. You can sign up for more information on next year's camp on the City of Aurora website.
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