Chicago Fire Department hosts "Firefighter for a Day" event for girls

At its "Firefighter for a Day" event on Thursday, the Chicago Fire Department wanted to show girls that they can do anything.

The nonprofit Girls Inc. of Chicago brought a group of girls ranging from kindergarten to fifth grade to the Robert J. Quinn Fire Academy, 558 W. De Koven St., for the firefighter experience.

The girls learned fire safety procedures, went through interactive stations, and took part in a firehose exercise. Campers also learned CPR and how to stop bleeding.

"If they can see us, they can be us, so the whole idea is for them to be able to touch tools and realize they can do a job forever men have done," said Chicago Fire District Chief Betty Ortiz. "So we want them to understand it's OK. We can do this. We can do this just as good as the guys do."

Fire Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt also spoke to the girls about her own career journey.