Dozens of prospective future firefighters put their skills to the test this weekend, for the annual Girls Empowerment Camp (GEC) held by the San Diego Fire Department (SDFD).
About 100 girls registered for the camp, held at the San Diego Fire Training Facility along Kincaid Road. Since the program’s inception in 2017, SDFD said that approximately 975 teens have gone through the camp. While the GEC was intended to empower the next generation of female firefighters, all genders are welcome to register from ages 14 to 18.
“It was something department-wide that had never been done,” said Lauren Thiel, an engineer with SDFD who has worked as a firefighter for roughly 15 years. Thiel has also been one of the instructors and mentors for GEC since the very beginning of the program.
“Being in the service and of service to others doesn’t just include the public. It includes your fire family forever,” said Thiel.
“I really like the teamwork of it all,” said Heather Virga, a 17-year-old trainee who has her sights set on becoming a firefighter.
“This is something women can do and I feel like that just motivates me even more,” said Virga.
The San Diego Fire Department told NBC 7 that the department currently has at least 58 women among its ranks, six of those positions being a in leadership role.
The GEC was organized with the hopes that in the future, that number could potentially get bigger.
“If you believe you can do it, you can really do anything—you just got to put the work in,” said Virga.