Blaze Fire Academy in Halton encourages women to join the fire service

Finding the right career is not always easy, especially when you are in high school. But a group of young women are getting the chance to learn about becoming firefighters.

Taylor Bertrand, 16, is going into grade 11 when school starts next month. She is excited about the possibility of becoming a firefighter, despite the danger involved.

“It is scary but you know, we need people in this world to do that, so I’ve always been willing to help people, and help the community so if I can do that while saving lives, I’m ok with that,” said Taylor.

Taylor is one of 24 participants in this immersive career camp for young women ages 15 to 18, living in the Halton region.

Blaze Fire Academy is two days of learning about all aspects of fire services.

Kalpana Rajgopalan is a deputy fire chief with the Oakville Fire Department. She isn’t on the front lines and does not go out and fight fires.

READ MORE: Oakville school bus drivers gear up for new year, invite prospective recruits

There are several careers like hers within the fire department, that don’t require battling blazes.

“We’ve made some great strides, I’d say about 13 per cent of our personnel here at the Oakville Fire Department are women,” said Kalpana. “In Oakville here you start off at about $60,000-$65,000 plus and then you go up through a classification system.”

Most fire departments no longer have height and weight requirements. In many cases they do, however, in numerous instances, they still conduct assessments of physical strength, as firefighters often need to lift heavy equipment.

“You are required to have the ability to carry someone out of a building, if that is what is necessary. You may be called upon to assist somebody on the site of a motor vehicle collision and help them exit the vehicle,” said Kalpana.

Taylor says she is grateful to be a part of this all female firefighter camp, “usually it’s a male job but it’s important for women to do what they want to do and be themselves.”

There is a similar camp for adults interested in changing careers and joining the fire department. For anyone interested in applying, registration opens in October for Halton’s November session.

READ MORE: Over $8M worth of illicit drugs, firearms seized: OPP