Fire Safety Camp Gets Girls Fully Involved [VIDEO]

Two small busloads of teenage girls pulled up to the Four Hills Landfill in Nashua, not long after the sunrise. Some yawned as they climbed off the bus, fire helmets tucked under their arms, backpacks, jammed with necessities, quickly tossed into a community pile on the ground.

As girls found their groups and geared up in donated fire gear, Lexi Romano of Plainfield offered to braid the orange-dyed locks of fellow camper, Julie Karliner, 16, of Vernon, Ct.

"It's the best way to keep your hair out of the way," said Romano, twisting Karliner's hair tightly into place just minutes before their first training drill was set to begin.

Among this year's campers were Carly Osgood, 14, the youngest of the group, whose dad is Russ Osgood, of Portsmouth Fire Department; and Cassie Fox, of Canterbury, stepdaughter of Portsmouth Firefighter Sarah Fox, who died of cancer in December of 2011. Cassie proudly donned her stepmother's gear to run through the training exercises during the course of the week. They both demonstrated that firefighting runs in the family.

It was the final day of Camp Fully Involved, and these 28 girls had come from across the country and around the world to get their hands dirty.

Nashua Fire Lt. Jess Wyman was ready and waiting for them.

"This experience is about confidence building, and it's about leadership. They don't have that 16-year-old girl chasing boys things to deal with. All they have to do is measure up to themselves," said Wyman, who launched the unique week-long camp six years ago.

Since then, it has grown in size and scope, from 16 girls in its first year to the 28 campers who spent last week learning the finer points of what it takes to be a firefighter.

"This year we have three women from outside the U.S. – France, Newfoundland and Toronto. We also have girls from California, Oregon, two from New York. The rest are all from New England states – 11 from New Hampshire, two from Maine and five from Connecticut," said Wyman.

When asked, she explains the reason for the all-girls camp is because it offers an opportunity for future female firefighters that they can't find elsewhere.

"And because it rocks," she says.

For $300 campers can spend a week bunking at the Fire Academy in Concord, dormitory style, where they have full days of training, from "Advancing Hose Lines" and "Vehicle Extrication" to principles of forestry and the finer points of hatchet wielding to ventilate a roof.

All these skills come together on the final day of camp, which was staged at the  Nashua landfill. A multi-level training building was purposely filled with smoke from an actual fire and the 28 girls split into three teams so they could rotate through the various training drills.

"It's organized chaos," said Wyman. "Like choreographing a symphony. It's an aggressive program that provides hands-on experience, where they can put all their skills together for this last day of training."

Also there, Sophie Redpath, 16, of New York City, who said she has no idea what has drawn her to firefighting as a career path.

"It doesn't make a lot of sense. Nobody from my family is in the field," said Redpath, who was about 4 when the Twin Towers fell and New York City firefighters were thrust into the international spotlight.

"I saw it happen and I remember it like it was yesterday. But even before 9/11, I remember wanting to be a firefighter. This camp experience has given me even more respect for the work firefighters do every day," Redpath said.

She said she found her way to the New Hampshire camp after looking online.

"I knew there had to be something like this out there. Most of the other programs I found said, 'Your child will not be touching fire and will be completely safe, and that wasn't good enough. Then I found this one," said Redpath. "I give this one five stars."

Anna DeLeo, 14, of Townsend, Mass., was there to observe. She'd like to be a camper next summer.

Her neighbor, Merrimack Fire Capt. Brian Borneman, suggested the program might be something she'd be interested in, so he brought her down to Nashua for the day to observe.

"My wife is a dispatcher, and Anna started asking her questions about becoming a firefighter. She even did a report about me in school. I told her that when she turned 14 she could ride along with me in Merrimack, and she's joined the Explorer post in Townsend," Borneman said. "It's a pretty impressive program."

He learned about the program from Wyman, who served as a Merrimack EMT before joining Nashua Fire.

Wyman said after six years of tracking graduated of Camp Fully Involved, they believe about 67 percent go on to some kind of fire service, whether full time or part time.

"I'd say it's a pretty good investment in the future of firefighting. We're making an impact," Wyman said.

Heidi Foisy, a former employee with the state's Explorer Program, continues to be part of the program, taking time out from her new job in the private sector to participate with the summer camp.

It's that important to her, Foisy said.

"It's so much fun. I come to take photos during the week, and so each girl leaves with a disc in their graduation packet of about 1,200 pictures," Foisy said. "It's amazing to see the transformation in just one week. They stand a little straighter and hold their heads a little higher by the time it's all over."

Wyman said personnel from just about every fire department in the region gets involved, donating time or equipment to the cause.

"It's truly a group effort. Everyone's been so supportive of the program," Wyman said.

Another camper, Emmaleigh Hardy of Maine, who is deaf, muscled through the rigorous physical challenges with the help of interpreters. 

"The girls in this group also came up with their own system of hand signals after Emma spoke up and said, 'This is what I need.' It's been impressive to watch how they've worked together," Foisy said.

For more information, go to www.campfullyinvolved.com. Campers must be between the ages of 14-20 (younger girls must have completed eighth grade).

Camp Fully Involved Class of 2012

Alyssa Caron, Coventry, CT; Amanda Cashmore, Cheshire, Ct.; Jordan Chapman, Russell, Mass.; Jessica Cody, Oyster Bay, NY; Jessica Davis, Moultonborough; Calyn Drew, Barnstead; Nicole Emberley, Mt. Pearl, Newfoundland; Alexandria Evans, Imperial Beach, Ca.; Cassandra Fox, Canterbury; Courtney Graham, Harwinton, Ct.; Kimberly Grassett, Amherst; Emmaleigh Hardy, Portland, Maine; Kim Sara Hiffler, Haganthal-Le-Bas, France; Julie Karliner, Vernon, Ct.; Kaitlin Mackie, Massapequa, NY; Emily Mann, Forestdale, Mass.; Anastasiya Mironichenko, Portland, Ore.; Carly Osgood, Cape Neddick, Maine; Natasha Paradis, Bethlehem; McKayla Reale, Hopkinton; Sophie Redpath, New York, NY; Alexis Romano, Plainfield; Segan Rodney, Barrington; Justine Shackleton, Toronto, Ontario; Brittany Sjogren, West Haven, CT; Amelia Sweezey, Alton; Shelby Wheeler, Milford; Kyla Wyman, Moultonborough.