This page was exported from Caledon Citizen [ https://caledoncitizen.com ] Export date:Wed Sep 2 15:22:20 2026 / +0000 GMT ___________________________________________________ Title: Camp Molly ignites passion for fire service careers among local youth --------------------------------------------------- By Riley Murphy Local Journalism Initiative Reporter “Mom, I think I'm going to be a firefighter,” said Sarah Messiha to her parents after her first day at Camp Molly in Vaughn in 2019. The now 20-year-old is a volunteer for the first-ever Camp Molly in Caledon. Camp Molly is a free, four-day camp for young women and non-binary youth aged 15-18, providing a hands-on firefighting experience. The camp aims to showcase a career in the fire service as a viable and rewarding option while empowering female and non-binary youth.  Although the camp is very hands-on and “boots on the ground,” it imparts a wide array of information, ranging from firefighting to medical, communications, education, and more. This year's camp, held at Caledon's Fire Station 309, featured 23 campers and 31 volunteers. One of those volunteers was Messiha. She first joined Camp Molly because her parents “thought it'd be a great opportunity to gain confidence and see what a girl can do,” explained Messiha. They signed her up in hopes that Messiha would gain courage and responsibility, but with the intention of “explore, but don't actually,” laughed Messiha. But, after her first day, she couldn't wait to attend again. After waiting a whole year, Messiha attended Camp Molly in Vaughan yet again and then began volunteering for the camp.  She also completed her pre-service training at the Fire and Emergency Services Training Institute (FESTI). The current law and policing student at Guelph-Humber says she's “counting the days down until I can get on a truck.” “I think one of the biggest things was realizing as a girl, I can do anything that I put my heart to,” says Messiha. “I'm just as capable as anyone else.” During the Caledon camp, campers gained hands-on experience in all aspects of fire services, including auto extrication, fire suppression, medical response, fire investigations, and more. In one demonstration, campers were invited to learn how to properly use an AED machine, as well as CPR. In the demonstration nearby, suited-up campers were able to try their hand at opening and closing fire hydrants. The campers were divided into platoons, where they could participate and learn together as a group. Camper Bianca Indovino, a resident of Bolton, learned about Camp Molly in a somewhat unconventional way. Firefighters were responding to a false alarm at Indovino's residence when she began speaking with a female firefighter on the scene, who told her about Camp Molly. “You see a lot of male firefighters and not enough females, so once you see a female firefighter, it's something you want to become, you get inspiration from female firefighters,” she said. Indovino shared she often meets stereotypes about what girls can do compared to boys in her school. “But then I turn to them, and I say, ‘Girls can do anything boys can do',” she says. Indovino says after learning about different opportunities in fire at Camp Molly, she decided not only to pursue a career in firefighting, but also to specialize in firefighter communications. Some campers attended Camp Molly because they had strong role models in their own lives. 16-year-old camper and Caledon resident Emma Deaguia wanted to attend Camp Molly as her mom works in the fire department. She shared she wanted to join to experience what it was like and what it involves. Deaguia says she sees herself following in her mom's footsteps one day, and that Camp Molly is “helping with the experience.” Emma Heath has not one, but two of her role models with her that day; she was joined by her parents, Julie McNeely and James Heath. McNeely currently works as a suppression firefighter in Toronto, and Heath is a training captain in Caledon. Emma Heath says that she likes the idea of being a firefighter and “helping people every day.” Her parents shared it's nice to hear her interested in the field because, as their daughter, she hears both sides of the work. “They've all been raised in it so they see the not nice aspect of it as well and the fact that she's still interested in attending is really nice,” said McNeely. Emma had attended her first activity of the day, where she got to see the side of public education and fire prevention. “That was really fun because we got to talk about all this stuff like code enforcement, making sure everyone has smoke detectors in the right places and actually has smoke detectors in their homes and all that kind of stuff. Just enforcing the rules of being safe and knowing your escape plan,” she says. Role models outside of parental figures were also present that day. The Lunch and Learn, catered by Firehouse Subs, featured OPP Staff Sgt. Kathe Kiamos. Kiamos shared with the campers that in her career, she often had to prove herself. “Put the time in. Do the work,” said Kiamos. “You'll get a lot of no's, push through the no's.” Campers enjoyed their final days at Camp Molly with a dance battle, a combat challenge, and a graduation ceremony. --------------------------------------------------- Images: --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Post date: 2025-09-11 11:55:42 Post date GMT: 2025-09-11 15:55:42 Post modified date: 2025-09-18 11:45:21 Post modified date GMT: 2025-09-18 15:45:21 ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Export of Post and Page as text file has been powered by [ Universal Post Manager ] plugin from www.gconverters.com