Are you struggling to find ways to enhance diversity in your department? Are you willing to wait a few years for your efforts to pay off? Camp Inferno may be what you need.

There are only 6,200 career female firefighters in the United States, according to Women in the Fire Service estimates, or roughly 3% of all career firefighters. Many women may be hesitant to embark on a career in the fire service, and even more may never have had the fire service on their radar as young girls. The Overland Park (Kan.) Fire Department started Camp Inferno to separate the fact from fiction surrounding women in the fire service and allow qualified young women an opportunity to consider a career in the fire service.

“Camp Inferno offers obvious benefits in cultivating a historically untapped market for future employees,” says Overland Park Fire Department Chief Bryan Dehner. “The department has always invested heavily in ensuring our organizations success in generations to come. Attracting and entering new folks into our department's culture and mission is an essential element.”

Realistic picture

Camp Inferno is a working, residential camp where young women from 15 to 19 experience some of the challenges of a career in the fire service. The cadets get the full experience, from living together for 24 hours at a time, to fighting live fires and learning search-and-rescue techniques, rappelling, CPR and first aid.

Camp Inferno was inspired by Camp Blaze, a similar project conducted mainly on the West Coast. The Overland Park Fire Department knew it had the setting, location and, most importantly, the motivated personnel to accomplish what Camp Blaze was doing.

Camp Inferno is sponsored by the Overland Park Fire Department with help from Consolidated Fire District #2 of Northeast Johnson County, the Leawood Fire Department and the Shawnee Fire Department. The camp charges cadets a $25 fee.

The camp is intended to give the cadets a fairly realistic picture of what it would be like to be a firefighter while showing young women that a career in the fire service is a viable choice if they want to pursue it and work hard. Consolidated Fire District #2 Chief Ron Graham saw Camp Inferno as “a perfect opportunity to help educate and hopefully spur the interest in qualified female candidates.”

Many exercises were built into the camp to bolster leadership, team-building, physical fitness and confidence. Regardless of whether these cadets become firefighters in a few years, they have learned skills that will enhance their success in life. Cadets from this year's camp learned to communicate better, compromise as needed for the mission at hand, and trust themselves and others.

Still not enough to convince you? Your staff running the camp stands to gain many skills as well. The younger generation of firefighters and paramedics will have the opportunity to teach classes, lead and manage groups, and serve as the command staff for a great deal of the camp. What better way to allow them to build confidence and for chiefs to see their abilities in a “safe” setting? Dehner observed an “incredible positive influence these young women made on our department, especially to the camp staff that saw a transformation in this diverse group into a focused team.”

Was Camp Inferno 2005 a success? Many of those involved would offer an unequivocal yes, but the best example may be that of the cadet who only agreed to attend the camp because her best friend begged her to go along for a feeling of security.

For this cadet, firefighting was nowhere on her radar. Six days later she says she might just become a firefighter. She is intrigued by the excitement of calls, helping others, and especially the camaraderie that comes from relying on others and having others rely on you. As for the remaining cadets, so far three have applied to the Overland Park Firefighter Explorer program. The parents of some of this year's cadets also have reported changes at home: better attitude, more respect, and an increased willingness to help with chores and projects.

The media coverage that this year's Camp Inferno received is also a testament to the program's success. During the week that the camp was held, every TV station in the Kansas City market attended the camp. Many came just to get a soundbite, but they extended their stay after seeing the project in action. The Kansas City Star and The Johnson County Sun also covered the week's activities. The positive media coverage was instrumental in showing citizens and policy-makers another way that the fire department contributes to the community.

Huge commitment

From the inception of this idea to its conclusion, there was a huge commitment required from the departments involved and the governing body. Fire department staff must commit fully, and the governing board needs to envision the potential impact. Once their support is gained, many hours will be spent with the legal department to produce the appropriate releases and assurances necessary to provide legal protection for all.

Detail, organization and scheduling were focused on during the overall planning for Camp Inferno. For the Overland Park Fire Department, planning began three years prior to the camp, but a similar project could be successfully planned and completed in one year. Legal and insurance issues had to be tackled, and resource allocation was planned, including staffing, finances and equipment.

The human resources department played an integral part in planning for eventualities, from the physical aptitude of the potential participants to the sleeping arrangements and meals. Daily activities were mapped out to finite specifics, including training topics, crew-chief mentors, chaperones, nutrition, evening activities, laundry and overall safety.

The camp staff, which included instructors, medical providers, crew chiefs and miscellaneous support personnel, was screened for their ability to have appropriate interaction with young women. These personnel had to understand the concept of the camp and buy into the idea, which included a large time commitment. Because it's important for the cadets to identify with familiar staff face, personnel committed to all six days of the camp as needed for specific assignments.

The support staff positions were less than glamorous, but their importance can't be overstated. Trash accumulated, fluid needs were constantly provided, and errands of all nature arose and needed attention. The support staff was responsible and attentive to the mood and needs of the camp.

The camp staff also had to be trained, which included not only the specific task assigned to each person, but also the objective of the camp and expectations of all involved. Special attention was given to interacting with the cadets. This included a required in-service class, led by a high school teacher, that covered teenager behaviors and attitudes, as well as training methods geared to gain the most of their attention.

Tight schedules

As with any fire service operation, the right hand needed to know what the left hand was doing, and each needed to know the next step in the process. Camp Inferno lived and breathed by the time-line format: Schedules were presented to all involved and were posted throughout the training ground for instant access by all personnel. The camp schedule was broken down into 15-minute increments, starting with camp set-up, check-in and orientation and continuing all the way to the graduation ceremony, goodbyes and the final cleanup. While some flexibility was necessary, the structure was vital to the camp's eventual success.

Camp Inferno operated under the incident management system. There was an incident commander; a safety officer on site during all drill-ground activities; a public information officer available at all times; and medic, operations, support, financial and crew chief divisions. Operating under the incident management structure allowed personnel to feel at ease, as all involved were well-versed and comfortable with the system. In addition, the cadets were introduced to the type of structure widely used in the fire service, which allowed them to witness the hierarchy, rank and respect for others expected in this profession. The use of IMS also emphasized to personnel and cadets that the system is used for more than just fires.

Does contributing to a future firefighter applicant pool of capable, qualified and diverse individuals sound worthwhile to you? How about conducting a scenario that safely challenges and tests the abilities of the next generation of firefighters, paramedics and officers in instructing, planning and managing? Then Camp Inferno may be just the project for your department to undertake. You could be handing an application to one of your cadets in a few years.

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A 16-year fire service veteran, Julie Harper is a captain with the Overland Park (Kan.) Fire Department. She holds associate's degrees in emergency services and fire science, a bachelor's degree in management, and is studying toward her MPA with the University of Kansas.