Be prepared to be challenged. Be prepared to be empowered. Be prepared to change the way you see yourself!
That’s the Camp Molly motto and it measured up as they executed their first firefighting camp in Chisasibi July 24-27.
Kingston Fire Chief Monique Belair founded Camp Molly in 2019 to expose girls to all aspects of working in the fire service. Camp Molly Chisasibi was the first camp with only Indigenous participants to be held in an Indigenous community.
It was also Belair’s first time visiting an Indigenous community and she was surprised. “I had some preconceived notions,” she said. “I was thinking I’m going to have this really remote area that doesn’t have modern necessities, and I was shocked to see that the fire department is so well equipped. And to learn that the make-up of the Chisasibi Fire Department is now 50% female. You never see that in municipal fire services. Ever!
“It just shows that they’re ahead of us in that aspect of diversity in the fire service.
That they’re accepting of women.”
The free, three-day camp gave girls a chance to don firefighting bunker gear and then operate the “jaws of life” to tear apart cars, handle water-charged hoses to put out fires and climb a 75-foot aerial ladder.
“Some of my staff can’t go that high. They’re afraid of heights,” laughed Chisasibi Fire Chief Maurice Napash.
But 15-year-old April Shanush of Wemidji accepted the challenge. “I was climbing the ladder, and I wanted to turn back, but I kept going and I made it to the top. I’m most proud of getting to the top rung,” beamed Shanush.
“I can’t tell you how many firefighters I know won’t climb a 75-foot ladder,” remarked Belair.
There were 11 campers from four different communities – five from Wemindji, two from Eastmain, one from Whapmagoostui and three from Chisasibi. The camp also received applications from three adults and the organizers invited Allanna Gilpin, Carly Diamond and Mary Gillies from Waskaganish to be platoon captains.
“It was a life-changing experience,” said Gillies. “I loved connecting with the other girls and I have confidence to complete my studies and pursue firefighting.”
Thirteen-year-old Mercedes Bearskin was a camper in Gillies’ platoon. “I made new friends especially with Mary when we were making our fire awareness video. We talked a lot about supporting each other,” said Bearskin.
Each platoon was charged with creating a social media PSA on an aspect of fire prevention and safety. Overall, Indigenous people are five times more likely to die from a fire than the general public. That’s one of the reason the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council supports Camp Molly as a way to provide life safety training and fire prevention education that participants can share with members of their community.
“Everything they did was impressive. We have female firefighters, but we need more,” said Napash. “Hopefully, we’ll see one girl from Camp Molly join a fire department in the future.”
Deputy Fire Chief Eliza Moses of Eastmain drove up with two participants and volunteered her services. “It’s my first time seeing Camp Molly. Hopefully next year they bring it back to our community,” said Moses.
Juliette Ottereyes was the main coordinator with the Chisasibi Fire Department and credits her team and the support of the Chisasibi Cree Nation and Council for making the camp a success.
“I mostly work in the office, so it was fun [and exhausting] to get back into my bunker gear,” remarked Ottereyes. “And it was really special to do the fire exercises with my daughter Mercedes.”
The Chisasibi Fire Department didn’t just help to execute the fire activities, firefighter Henry Cookish also has a side hustle as a caterer and provided snacks and meals for the campers and volunteers.
Typically, Belair has 60-90 volunteers to assist her run a four-day camp with urban firefighting halls. In Chisasibi, Belair had a handful of volunteers including her own Deputy Chief, Don Carter and his wife Natasha, who drove 17 hours from Kingston with a U-Haul filled with bunker gear, firefighting equipment, a 40lb propane tank, medical gear and SCBA packs.
Firefighting students Mackenzie Henry and Corrie Pearson flew in from Ontario to assist with leading the evolutions. They quickly became the most popular amongst the girl campers. An unexpected volunteer was firefighter Marc-Andre Roy from Wemindji. Roy drove the three Wemindji participants to Chisasibi, and was quickly recruited.
“I would hire Marc-Andre on Kingston Fire and Rescue – that’s what I think of him,” said Belair. “For somebody who was just driving a few campers and who happened to have his bunker gear, to offer help and volunteer and stayed for the whole camp… He worked!”
“I knew little of Camp Molly,” admitted Roy. “I didn’t not know how far they would push things or how much they would show, or how much they would let the girls do hands-on tasks themselves. Auto-extrication was for me, one of the highlights. I’ve rarely seen so much hands-on work done by such young and inexperienced people in that field. They took multiple cars apart entirely. It was excellent practice for me just to watch them operate. That was fun. “
The final day ended in a relay race and water-ball competition with Team Yellow capturing gold medals in the relay. “Paris has the Olympics, Chisasibi has Camp Molly and we’re handing out medals to our girls,” Napash proudly stated.
It was an emotional graduation ceremony as families drove in from various communities to see their daughters receive certificates and medals. Firefighting instructor and volunteer Pearson addressed the audience in her Mohawk language and gifted Fire Chief Napash with sweetgrass, white sage, tobacco and seeds from her community of Tyendinaga.
“Corrie got up and introduced herself in the Mohawk language. And brought gifts from the Mohawk community and gifted to Maurice. And Maurice is a very quiet man, but you could clearly see that he was touched by the gifts. You could even see, a shift in all the parents. Those are things I don’t see at most camps,” Belair remarked.
Belair already has plans to have another all-Indigenous camp at Sioux Lookout First Nation in northwestern Ontario next summer and is hoping to come back to Eeyou Istchee to inspire other young Cree girls to join their local fire brigades.