Girls on Fire: Tamworth resilience fire camp to prepare young women for a career in firefighting

A three-day camp at Trelawney Station, Somerton, will bring together volunteers from local frontline agencies who will teach the teenagers everything from how to use a fire hose to how to respond to a car accident.

Hosted by Girls on Fire - founded by Fire and Rescue NSW station officer Bronnie Mackintosh in 2016 - the camp will have a cultural focus for National Reconciliation Week, incorporating Indigenous fire practices.

"They will learn to throw a boomerang and a spear, learn to make fire in a traditional way and they'll learn foundational skills that firefighters use to extinguish a fire like using a fire blanket or extinguisher," Ms Mackintosh told the Leader.

"They're mentored by volunteers from each of participating agencies and will learn things like hazard reduction, navigating in the bush, the tools and equipment that you use in an urban fire setting."

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Girls on Fire was founded as a multi-agency learning program as part of a long-term recruitment strategy aimed at teenage girls, and Ms Mackintosh said it's already proved successful.

"It was born out of some research I did in 2016 on a Churchill Fellowship to find out how other fire services are recruiting for more diversity, because it's been a problem in the sector," she said.

"It's always a big gig pulling it together with the amount of volunteers, who travel from long distances."

The camp, which runs from June 3 to 5, is open to all young women from the ages of 15 to 19.

To register, you can visit girlsonfire.com.au

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