08/04/2026
🔥🔥Another Camp Blaze has come and gone. A group of young women showed up not knowing what to expect. At the end of that week they walked out knowing how to pull hose, force a door, and trust the person next to them with their safety — because that’s what this camp has always been about.
Camp Blaze started in 1999, a handful of women firefighters saw a gap — empowering women through what they knew — the fire service — they built a camp that has seen many changes, but the core survives, empowerment! Twenty-plus years later, that same idea still brings volunteer firefighters from departments near and far together every other summer in North Bend, at no cost to a single camper.
What social media doesn’t show is the real work of camp: watching a girl who was scared on Monday be the one talking a teammate through a fear by Friday. Watching “I can’t” turn into “I’ve got this.” That’s the whole mission — if you see it, you can be it — and this week, they saw it up close, in turnout gear, from women who do this job for real. The camaraderie, the sisterhood and the willingness to push through hard things, showed up front and center.
To every camper: you came in as strangers and you’re leaving as a crew. Carry that with you.
To every volunteer, instructor, and department that sent people and gear to make this happen: this doesn’t run without you! We can’t thank you enough, it really does take a village. 🔥🚒💪🏼♥️
