Courtesy of Camp Fury STL
Camp Fury STL isn’t your traditional Girl Scout Camp.
Rather than go on a hike or roast s’mores, girls rappel down a four-story building and participate in dive rescues. At Camp Fury, they learn forensic science, firefighting skills, and emergency management skills.
The camp is the first of its kind in the region. High school–aged girls spend a week learning firsthand what it’s like to work in law enforcement, emergency medical services, and fire service. Inspiration for the camp originated in Arizona, where a similar camp has been operating since 2009. When the Girl Scout Council of Eastern Missouri learned of it, “we were very interested in making it happen for girls in our region,” says chief operating officer Jessica Erfling.
Since then, the creation of the camp has been a collaborative effort. The St. Louis camp team kept in close contact with the directors of the Arizona camp, as they began working with Metro West Fire District, St. Charles County Emergency Communications, St. Louis Fire and Police Academy in Wellston, and St. Louis County Police Department to plan the week.
Courtesy of Camp Fury STL
Many servicewomen are volunteering their time, and different organizations are opening up their facilities to host the girls throughout the week. The camp splits most of its time between Camp Tuckaho and St. Louis County Fire and Police Academy. The girls will also have the opportunity to visit a live call center.
“Emergency and first responders recognize that they do not have a lot of females in these fields," Erfling says. "By partnering with Girl Scouts to give girls the opportunity to engage with the first responder fields, hopefully they will have more women wanting to pursue these fields in the future."
Female first responders will guide the girls through climbing a 100-foot ladder, participating in a simulated target practice, and putting out a fire blaze—while wearing real fire fighter gear, of course.
The camp is in full swing this week. On day one, the girls worked through different dive rescue scenarios at the pool at Camp Tackaho. Most of their second day was spent at Wellston Academy where they participated in different fire and EMS stations. “When I’m looking at the schedule, there are full days from 6 a.m.–10 p.m., so I also imagine we’ll have some tired girls,” Erfling says.
Courtesy of Camp Fury STL
Many of the high school-aged campers are starting to think about potential career choices. “We believe that they will build a lot of confidence during the program, and it will open their eyes to any sort of career field that they would have interest in," Erfling says.
Currently, the Camp Fury STL Facebook page is flooded with profiles of local female first responders. Now that the camp is in full swing, videos that showcase the campers are being posted daily.
“Anytime we get an opportunity to blend new skills of today and bring new opportunities to our traditional camping programs, we’re excited,” Erfling says. “It’s helped to keep our camping programs very vibrant.”
If you are interested in learning more about Camp Fury STL or other Girl Scout camps, visit the Girl Scout Council of Eastern Missouri's website.
