Camp Courage leads to dream career

Whitney MacLeod can hardly believe she is starting her dream career at only 19.

The young Cole Harbour woman started a full-time job as an HRM firefighter last week.

"It hasn't hit me yet that I have a real job," said MacLeod. "I feel so lucky. I have a lot of friends who have no idea what they want to do."

When the hiring call went out, about 750 people applied, 21 were hired, and MacLeod was eighth on the seniority list.

A graduate of Auburn Drive, MacLeod wasn't sure what she wanted to do after high school. She had even enrolled in music business at NSCC, but wasn't sure.

"I always did good in school, but liked more hands-on work," she said.

But after job shadowing a firefighter for a day, and taking part in Camp Courage, a free camp that inspires young women toward non-traditional professions, she decided to go for it.

The camp was two days of paramedics, two days police and the last two days were firefighting.

"I realized that's all I wanted to do," said MacLeod. "I just wanted to fight fires, cut up cars and crawl through spaces. I know that is a minor part of the job in itself, and there's much more to it, but it appealed to me."

She enrolled at the Nova Scotia Firefighters School in Waverley in February.

"It was tough, both mentally and physically," she said. "

The military-like training started everyday at 7:30 a.m., where they had to stand at the attention of the officers. They studied theory and listened to lectures, but it was the field work that MacLeod loved.

The school had four fire trucks and a structure set up like a fire station. They practiced in burn buildings and confined spaces.

"I was claustrophobic as a kid, but within that first week, I conquered it. Now I love it. Everyone was really encouraging."

MacLeod did her six weeks of on-the-job training at the Knightsridge Fire Station in Clayton Park. She said it was a good experience for her. They didn't have a lot of false alarms and she learned a lot.

She graduated from fire school in July, took a month to travel around Europe, and shortly after she got home, she found out she had a job.

"I know it sounds cliche, but I wanted to prove myself to people. I'm a 19-year-old blond girl walking into a fire station. I want to show them I'm willing to make mistakes in training so I can learn from them."

And because she's a woman, she knows she'll have to prove herself to a lot of people, but is fine with the challenge.

"It's discouraging when people said, 'Oh, you'll get in because you're a girl.' I can bring different things to the table because I'm smaller, quicker and more agile. It's not all about being strong," she said, adding she works out at the gym four to five times a week.

There are approximately 22 women working as firefighters in HRM. That number is up from only eight women in July 2006.

She finds work life busy these days, but good. She is committed to 42 hours a week as a firefighter, as well as working part-time in a downtown bar. Until recently she also worked part-time at Nubody's.

"I can handle it. I've worked two to three jobs since I was 14."

Eventually her job as a firefighter will involve 24-hour shifts, at that time she says she'll consider going back to school.

"I'd probably take a trade. I'm not a SMU or Dal type of girl," she said with a smile.

MacLeod was sworn in as an HRM firefighter on Oct. 21. Starting out, she is training out of Station 9 in Sackville, and in and out of Station 7 in Clayton Park, as well as at the fire school. She'll know her permanent posting in December.

Andrea Speranza, a firefighter and founder/executive director of Camp Courage, said MacLeod is a perfect example of what their camp is all about.

"Not very many young people get hired as firefighters, so it's incredible that she is female and so young," said Speranza. "She put herself through school and worked really hard to attain her dreams. She worked multiple jobs while attending school.

"Her story would inspire others to never give up on their dreams. The main thing we try to convey at camp is that the only limits are the ones that you put on yourself and Whitney totally got it."

lmckay@hfxnews.ca