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This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0073_01C8F018.F6FD83F0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Unique camp shows girls they've got courage, too Camp Courage gives teens a taste of being a cop, a firefighter, and a = paramedic By JOEL JACOBSON | Great Kids Sun. Jul 27, 2008 Katie Arnold, Christina Passmore and Victoria Ray were among 16 young = women getting a first-hand look at what it takes to be a firefighter, = police officer or paramedic during the week-long Camp Courage in = Halifax. (Joel Jacobson) IT'S 7 O'CLOCK on a Saturday morning, and it's already very warm as 16 = teenage girls arrive at Knightsridge fire station in the Clayton Park = area of Halifax for Day 6 of Camp Courage.=20 They're bubbling, probably more than they were on Day 1. Andrea Speranza, a female firefighter in Dartmouth, started Camp Courage = in 2006 to introduce young women to police, paramedic and firefighting = work. The free one-week day camp aims "to provide information, education = and inspiration and the opportunity to experience the physical demands = of these fields," she says. "The hands-on work was amazing," says Victoria Ray, 16, a Grade 11 = student at Citadel High. Yesterday, they participated in a firefighter = relay race in which they climbed ladders, simulated a forcible entry, = hosed water through a target and carried a 180-pound dummy for 75 feet. "My legs hurt afterwards," Victoria acknowledges. "I saw the national = firefighters competition last year on the waterfront, and I wanted to do = it then. This was really fun." Andrea, captain of last year's national firefighter championship team, = says the camp - two days each with paramedics, police officers and = firefighters - exposes the girls to all aspects of being a first = responder. "This showed me what it's like to be on the street," says Angelic = Nicholson, 17, a graduate of Advocate District High, who will soon study = criminal justice at the University of Maine. "As part of the relay, we = had to climb four flights of stairs with a 45-pound hose on our = shoulder, then pull the hose up and run back down the stairs." Katie Arnold, 17, entering Grade 12 at Dartmouth High, says putting on = the hazmat (hazardous materials) suit the previous day was "my favourite = thing so far . . . I was first, so it wasn't sweaty yet," she says. She spent half an hour in the suit, learning how to breathe with an = oxygen tank strapped to her body. "We learned how to buddy-walk and = communicate, which was really hard because you have a mask on, you're = trying to breathe and talk, and you're in a confined space." Victoria says she looked like (Star Wars villain) Darth Vader. "It was = really hot yesterday. I couldn't wear my glasses in the suit so I was = relieved to get it off." Ashley Pickrem, 15, a Grade 11 student at Sackville High, has a fear of = heights. "I managed to climb 100 feet on a ladder (in the relay). I = bawled my eyes out on the way up but I made it. I phoned my mum from the = top to tell her I had done it." Katie says she was shy when the camp started but came out of her shell. = "I didn't know much about any of this and didn't know how successful I'd = be, but I learned intubation and taught some of the others.=20 "Now I'm loud with everybody."=20 Andrea beams. "This camp is so valuable for them. It inspires them to = try non-traditional careers. We, the women in these professions, have to = lead by example . . . and give these kids a chance to reach their = potential." Angelic says she's now torn between firefighting and police work. = "Firefighting was so much fun," she says. Victoria calls policing interesting. "I've seen police stuff on = television, but TV's not realistic. We experienced real life. We learned = how to use handcuffs, self-defence tactics, forensics, spent time with = the canines, even had a presentation from the RCMP on careers." Katie's eyes widen. "We must have had 10 e-mails from Andrea asking for = our sizes. I expected the basic T-shirt (the girls received four), but = we got to take our (firefighter) bunker gear home with us for a night, = were given first-aid kits, packages of soap and body wash, mini-digital = cameras, other clothes. This has been super." Andrea, who has been a professional firefighter at Highland Park station = in Dartmouth for eight years, after three years as a volunteer in = Lakeside, says the camp is supported through fundraising and corporate = assistance.=20 "We use volunteer staff, even past campers, and equipment from the = various services. There are kids here this week from New Glasgow, = Kingston, Digby, even a girl from Ontario who saw the website. Her = family paid for her to fly here."=20 Andrea says the camp name refers to the courage to stand up for yourself = and have dreams. "If you dream, you can achieve," she says. "These kids = come here with blinders on and leave knowing what's out there for them." Christina Passmore, 17, in Grade 12 at Dartmouth High, says it was tough = for her to get going Monday morning. "Once I started, it's been amazing. = Each day was better and I was really excited to be here. "I'm sure motivated now. I've thought for a while of being a paramedic, = but now I'm leaning toward firefighting." ( jjacobson@herald.ca) 'I managed to climb 100 feet on a ladder. I bawled my eyes out on the = way up, but I made it. I phoned my mum from the top to tell her I had = done it.' ashley pickremCourage Camp participant who's afraid of heights = Joel Jacobson's column appears Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. ------=_NextPart_000_0073_01C8F018.F6FD83F0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; = charset=3Diso-8859-1"> <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.6000.16674" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial> <P>Unique camp shows girls they=92ve got courage, too</P> <P>Camp Courage gives teens a taste of being a cop, a firefighter, and a = paramedic</P> <P>By JOEL JACOBSON | Great Kids</P> <P>Sun. Jul 27, 2008</P> <P>Katie Arnold, Christina Passmore and Victoria Ray were among 16 young = women=20 getting a first-hand look at what it takes to be a firefighter, police = officer=20 or paramedic during the week-long Camp Courage in Halifax. (Joel = Jacobson)</P> <P>IT=92S 7 O=92CLOCK on a Sa