Aurora summer camp champions girls to become firefighters

With our recent dry winters and hot summers, our state seems to be constantly battling wildfires. One summer camp in Aurora hopes to ignite interest in young girls to someday become the heroes who fight those fires.

At Camp Spark in Aurora, girls 12 to 18 years old are serious about their futures.

"This is a girl's camp, and we really want to make sure that we're incorporating our community here at Aurora Fire Rescue," said Danielle Allen, an Aurora Fire Rescue paramedic and firefighter. 

The 3-day program is working to ignite the flame of service for the next generation of female firefighters.

"We pull ladders; we throw hoses; we put out fires; and so it's a great opportunity for them to get hands on experience to what fire service is about," Allen explained. 

Allen says she's been in these girls' shoes before.

"I actually lived through 9/11, so a lot of the times for me, I saw firefighters as the ultimate hero. So once I graduated college, I aspired to get into the field," Allen said. "A lot of times when they see me or a member of my crew, they've never seen a female firefighter ever, so that is one of the reasons we want to get them out there seeing role models from an early age."

Allen is living proof that anything is possible with a little girl power.

"It's great to see a before and after in the girls who feel like they can't do something," Allen said. "Then after, they can."