On Nov. 8 and 9, a group of 35 young people participated in the fourth annual Empowerment Camp hosted by the Beverly Hills Fire Department (BHFD).
The event, held at the department’s station headquarters on North Rexford Drive, was organized as a collaboration between the BHFD, the Beverly Hills Fire Foundation and the Women’s Fire Alliance (WFA). The WFA is a non-profit founded by BHFD Captain Melissa Hillis, the first female officer in the BHFD’s 100-year history.
“[The WFA] believes in doing whatever we can to expose young girls to firefighting so that they know it’s a viable career choice,” said Hillis of the event.
Attendees arrived at 7 a.m. on both days, then spent 10 hours learning core fire service skills such as hose evolutions, ladder throws and administering first aid through simulated emergency scenarios.
People of all genders were welcome, but girls and young women were particularly encouraged to sign up.
“There are so many avenues for young boys to become firefighters,” said Hillis. “This is just bringing girls up to speed, providing a safe space for women to have the same mentorship as the young boys do.”
With that said, the camp is open to all, said Hillis, because “women, for so long, were excluded from the fire department. We would never want to do the same thing.”
Camp activities were led by 30 volunteer firefighter instructors at a ratio of one instructor for every two campers. Over the course of the two-day event, Hillis said that campers were “transformed.”
“When they walk in the door the first day, you can tell they’re a little hesitant … and then they leave like roaring lions, supporting one another, and they look comfortable in their own skin,” she said. “It’s just so important for our young people, especially young teenage girls.”
The camp’s volunteers are often female firefighters who want to open the career up to younger people, and who seek camaraderie in a field that has historically been male dominated. Hillis said that the camp also serves as a recruitment tool for BHFD; two women employed by the department found BHFD by volunteering at the empowerment camp.
Members of the BHFD were heavily involved in planning and executing the camp. Hillis noted that male firefighters in the department were extremely supportive of the program.
“The men at the Beverly Hills Fire Department worked so hard behind the scenes, they were seamlessly moving around chairs and apparatus, tying up different safety systems, and working tirelessly the whole weekend in order to make sure that that the rest of us were well-supported, so that we could be the face of the camp,” she said.
As part of the camp, the WFA handed out six scholarships in the categories of empathy, perseverance, resilience and a “kick-butt” award.
Another scholarship was accompanied by the Mayoral Award, for which Hillis asked Beverly Hills Mayor Sharona Nazarian for three characteristics that she would like to see celebrated.
“She wanted to see somebody who embodied leading with courage, unity and integrity,” said Hillis.
In a statement, Nazarian offered her gratitude to Hillis and Barton.
“I’m also grateful to … our firefighters, volunteers, and partner agencies who dedicated their time to mentor these amazing young women,” she said. “This is how we build pathways, break barriers, and ignite the leaders of tomorrow as a united community.”
In attendance at the camp’s graduation ceremony on Nov. 9 were Nazarian, Vice Mayor Craig Corman and City Councilmembers Lester Friedman and Mary Wells.
