A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy skies. Low 59F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph..

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy skies. Low 59F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.

Local girls participate in the Rocky Mount Fire Department’s inaugural Blaze Academy.

A local girl carries hoses during the Rocky Mount Fire Department's inaugural Blaze Academy.

Firefighters talk with girls participating in the department’s inaugural Blaze Academy.

A firefighter talks with a girl participating in the department’s inaugural Blaze Academy.

Local girls participate in the Rocky Mount Fire Department's inaugural Blaze Academy.

Local girls participate in the Rocky Mount Fire Department’s inaugural Blaze Academy.

A local girl carries hoses during the Rocky Mount Fire Department's inaugural Blaze Academy.

Firefighters talk with girls participating in the department’s inaugural Blaze Academy.

A firefighter talks with a girl participating in the department’s inaugural Blaze Academy.

Local girls participate in the Rocky Mount Fire Department's inaugural Blaze Academy.

Aliyanna Carvin said she’s always wanted to be a firefighter. But it seemed like for a while, her dream might not come true.

The 18-year-old couldn’t find a volunteer fire station around Raleigh to join, and then her family moved to Rocky Mount for her senior year of high school. Throw in the fact that only about 12 percent of firefighters in the United States are women, according to the job website Zippia, and Carvin’s quest has been daunting.

“It’s true, there aren’t a lot of women firefighters,” Carvin said. “But ever since I could remember, I’ve wanted to be a firefighter.”

But the move to Rocky Mount this summer seemed to be at the right time. Carvin’s mom suggested she start looking online for opportunities in their new hometown, and Carvin found the Blaze Academy.

Last week, the Rocky Mount Fire Department held its first ever Blaze Academy, a five-day camp designed to get more women interested in fire service. Eight young girls, aged 13-18, participated in the camp.

Tia Armstrong has been the city’s fire training/recruitment officer for about a year, and since she started going to job fairs and high schools, interest from young girls has grown.

“There’s been a lot of buzz because you don’t see a lot of women in fire service,” she said. “But the fire department has been wanting to do this for a while now.

“I was thrilled that we got such a great response immediately. We weren’t sure if we were going to get anyone to participate, but we got tremendous feedback immediately.”

For a week, the campers learned the basics of firefighting through numerous hands-on experiences. They dealt with hydrants, hoses and nozzles; fire trucks; and victim rescues from mock burning buildings.

“One day, there was a call for a structure fire so we loaded them up in the van and answered the call with them,” Armstrong said. “We let them see first-hand what happens — from a safe distance, of course.”

For 15-year-old Meredyth Whitley, she already had a little background in fire service. Her father is an engineer at Station 1 in Rocky Mount, and she’s been doing ride-alongs with firefighters for years now.

“I wanted to do the camp to see if I would really like it,” Whitley said. “I know it’s hard work, though.”

The camp addressed the physical challenges from the outset of the camp, staging rescues in which the girls were required to drag a 160-pound dummy through a building.

“I weigh 121 pounds, and I dragged that 160-pound dummy,” said 15-year-old Zia Holland. “You just have to trust yourself, and it will get you places.”

Carvin said she was “very proud” when she completed the dummy drag task.

“(Wanting to be a firefighter) keeps increasing, to be honest,” she said.

Rocky Mount hired its first female firefighter in 1982. Forty years later, though, the city still is under the national average. Today, Rocky Mount has five female firefighters, less than 4 percent of the total number working in the city.

But those five are trying to be ambassadors for other women who might have an interest in fire service. Each day, Rocky Mount’s female firefighters helped with the camp.

“They even came in on their days off, or they were pulled off their truck to participate,” Armstrong said. “That’s how much this camp means to them.

“They were able to share their knowledge and experiences of being a firefighter.”

Naasirah Braswell was one of the girls who met Armstrong at a job fair. The 18-year-old graduated in June from Northern Nash High School, and she thought firefighting looked interesting after talking to Armstrong.

“I thought firefighters just sprayed water on fires,” she said. “But they do a lot more. It takes a lot of patience and courage.”

Although the city’s first Blaze Academy just ended, organizers already are looking ahead to next year.

“We’ve gotten so many calls (after) it started because they saw pictures and posts on Facebook,” Armstrong said. “They’re asking if they can stay in touch so they can participate next year.

“People think it’s great. It has warmed my heart to see the response from the community.”

www.RockyMountTelegram.com 1151 Falls Road Suite 2008 Rocky Mount, NC 27804 Main Phone: 252-446-5161 Customer Care Phone: 252-329-9505

Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.

Check your email for details.

Invalid password or account does not exist

Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.

An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account.

Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.

A receipt was sent to your email.