COMMUNITY

“As a camper I have gained more self-confidence, more valuable knowledge on firefighting techniques, equipment and teamwork. I have made new friends and mentors,” she added One instructor who has led Camp Phoenix since its inception, Lisa Herbert, echoed Sundvall’s comments around selfconfidence.

“The most exciting experience for us and most campers were the moments that began with ‘I can’t,’ that turned into ‘I can!’” said Herbert

Some specific examples came to her mind, like breaching a 16” x 16” space in full bunker gear and wearing a training SCBA, navigating a maze in the dark, smoked out environment and moving a hose line through a maze.

All those confidence building moments accumulated into one big display of physical and mental strength on the final day during the Phoenix Fit Challenge. The girls were split into platoons to see who could complete a fire obstacle course the fastest.

Teamwork was critical as the girls deployed two hose lines, making adequate connections and hitting a target with the hose stream, breaching a door and completing an outdoor maze where they had to breach two walls and crawl through a tube while wearing a training SCBA pack on their back, filling a garbage can with water using a bucket brigade strategy and pulling a fire truck over the finish line.

During closing ceremonies, volunteer firefighters recognized each aspiring firefighter for their efforts throughout the intense camp. Camp Phoenix alumni, Bethany Randall and Alicia Giedronowicz, returned two years after they participated in the camp, to act as emcees of the graduation ceremony. The chosen Class Valedictorian, Melina Zsargo, delivered summary remarks during the closing the ceremony

This year over $9,000 was fundraised to ensure the success of the camp and volunteers and organizers are incredibly thankful.