More than 50 women from Washington, Oregon and California are participating in the Women &Fire Training Weekend at the Ray Lee Brown Training Center in Snohomish. The camp gives female firefighters a chance to meet and train with other women in live fire, power tools, auto extrication and forcible entry drills. The training weekend, which began in 2013, and takes place every two years and helps raise money for Camp Blaze, a fire training camp for young women aged 16-19.
Both career and volunteer firefighters from around Snohomish County are attending the camp Saturday and Sunday.
Anna Trenouth, 36, a firefighter with the Arlington Fire Department, said she came “seeking role models and exposure to other women in the service.”
Fewer than four percent of firefighters across the country are women, and some camp attendees are the only women in their fire districts. Many female firefighters come for camaraderie, a safe and supportive learning environment and to train in techniques suited for those with smaller bodies and less upper body strength than men.
“When you’re in a male-dominated industry, women put a lot of pressure on themselves and it takes away from the training,” said instructor and Lacey firefighter Crystal Murphy, 38. “Here, women aren’t afraid of making mistakes or proving themselves to the guys. It becomes a true learning environment.”
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