Girls on Fire camp coming to Newcastle to encourage young girls to become firefighters

Since then, she says there's been a big push to attract more women to the industry but the statistics show there's still a way to go.

Currently about 95 per cent of Australia's firefighters are men, according to a female firefighting organisation which is coming to Newcastle on Friday to encourage young women to join the male dominated industry.

The Girls on Fire program will be held at the Rural Fire Service base at Cameron Park where females aged 16-19 will have a hands-on opportunity to learn about firefighting.

The attendees will wear all the firefighting gear, ride in a truck, use a hose and put out a fire.

Founder and former Newcastle firefighter Bronnie Mackintosh said the program was established to try and change the statistics and stigma around women firefighters.

"We know if you give this early exposure to young people it plants the seed for them to consider firefighting as a career or a volunteering experience," she said. "The young girls get to see women doing the job.

"It debunks some of the myths about the physical requirements of firefighting. They come out feeling empowered that they can do these things."

The camp is usually held over seven days, but has been squeezed down to a one-day intensive taster due to COVID-19.

It was held for the first time in 2018, with later camps cancelled due to last summer's bushfires and the pandemic.

Ms Mackintosh said the uptake from that first camp had been positive. More than 50 per cent of participants joined a firefighting agency in a volunteering capacity and one has recently completed the physical testing to join Fire and Rescue NSW.

Ms Terry, who will be assisting at the camp on Friday, said she joined Fire and Rescue at the age of 21 after a lifelong passion for emergency services.

"I lived two blocks from Stockton Fire Station so I decided to give it a crack, and I haven't looked back," she said.

Ms Terry has held the position of captain at Stockton and now works on-call for Fire and Rescue. She recently joined National Parks and Wildlife Service as a field officer, which involves a firefighting component.

She said she encouraged anyone interested to give firefighting a go.

"It's probably the best decision I've ever made in my life," she said. "It's given me a massive sense of purpose. Every time I go to work it doesn't feel like work."

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