A fourth annual camp is held for young women to experience what it takes to become firefighters.

Lying on the ground is a 165-pound dummy, made of bolted-together fire hose line, nicknamed George.

Donning a firefighter’s coat, pants and helmet, 17-year-old Courtney Bajari steps behind George in a squat position to attempt to lift him up and drag him a few feet. As she positions herself, others garbed in bunker gear surround her and yell out words of encouragement.

After a few strains and some corrections in her form from Cal Fire firefighter Maryann Holliday, Bajari is able to lift George up and pull him to “safety.”

Bajari is one of 41 who were selected to participate in the fourth annual girls firefighting camp that took place on Saturday, April 25 at the Presidio of Monterey’s fire training facility in Seaside. Aside from lifting George, young women ages 14 to 23 participate in firefighter training evolutions, including forcing their way into a smoke-filled building for search and rescue, chainsaw training, rappelling out of a four-story tower, climbing a 100-foot ladder truck, donning firefighter gear and operating a fire hose line to extinguish a car fire.

The camp was founded by Marina firefighter Athena Suich and Cal Fire engineer Meglan Enz, who are the heads of the California Fire Women organization, as a springboard for girls who are interested in a career in the fire service.

“This is showcasing what the fire service is, what they can do and what it takes to be a firefighter so they can build that confidence to see that they can do it,” Enz says.

“Think of it as a women’s empowerment camp,” Suich adds.

Current Monterey Peninsula College Fire Academy cadets are also present to help with the camp. Their Fire Academy is a physically grueling 17-week course that trains students to earn a certificate and become eligible for an entry-level job at a fire department.

The camp is free to attend, but recruits must apply. This year, 135 girls applied, meaning a little less than one-third of applicants got to participate. Those who did say it is both empowering and supportive for them, even if their end-goal isn’t to enter the fire service.

In one drill, teammates work together to force entry through a metal door using a halyard and axe to rescue a dummy inside a dark, smoke-filled building. To begin, one trainee positions the halyard – a metal device with a wedge and spike – into the door jamb and yells, “strike!” to the other to hit it with the back of her axe.

Daly City Fire Engineer Ashley St. Cin coaches them to be aggressive and firm with their commands. St. Cin is one of several out-of-area firefighters, from more than a dozen departments, who join to help run the one-day camp.

“Strike!” she repeats louder, each time her teammate hitting the tool harder until the door gives way. Both enter the building as breathable vapor smoke pours out to conduct a search. After about three or four minutes, the trainees emerge with not just one but two dummies to the delight of the watching MPC fire academy cadets.

“Everyone here started out timid,” St. Cin says. “I love seeing the confidence build in one session.”

At the end of the day, families of the girls are invited to watch what their daughters, nieces and granddaughters learned since dropping them off at 7am. A fire truck rushes onto the scene while parents watch, blaring lights and sirens toward a burning mock-up car – the flames are real and controlled by propane.

“We got to see her do everything,” says Veronica Gonzalez, whose 18-year-old daughter is training to be a volunteer firefighter with South Monterey County Fire Protection District.

With the help of a professional firefighter, three girls take a hose line and blast the car with water to extinguish the fire.

The final task is the ladder climb, where five girls ascend 100 feet in the air together on their own fully extended ladder truck. When they all reach the top of their respective ladders, a group on the ground calls out, “Big dogs, big dogs! Woof-woof-woof!” as everyone cheers what they’ve accomplished.

“By the end of the day, you’ve got some fire cadets,” Suich says.