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Summer Heat, Inc: A Fire Camp for Young Women
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| Summer Heat is a six-day camp that gives young women an opportunity to challenge themselves in a safe, team-oriented environment. It also allows them to investigate fire service jobs by bringing them face to face with successful women firefighters, fire protection engineers, inspectors, and others. This workshop will address the reasons to start a fire camp, the importance of fire service women reaching out to young women in their communities, and the equipment, logistical support, fundraising, and community partnerships required to start a program of this sort. |
| Faculty: Julie Kiselich is a firefighter/paramedic with the Colorado Springs Fire Department, and the current president of Summer Heat, Inc. Lisa S. Smith is also a firefighter/paramedic with Colorado Springs, and is the vice-president of Summer Heat. Cassie Beckey is an analyst in the CSFD's Human Resource Office, and has been involved with Summer Heat since 2003, currently as its secretary/treasurer. |
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| Friends and Allies |
| What is the difference between being a friend and being an ally to those you work with? How can you be an ally to someone who is very different from you (or whom you don't even like very much)? How can men in positions of power act as allies to women without showing favoritism? What issues exist when women are allies to other women, or when they feel they can't be? This workshop will discuss the issues that face both men and women as they work together to make the workplace more inclusive, and will provide strategies for creating positive alliances at work. |
| Faculty: Linda Willing is the owner of RealWorld Training & Consulting, and a retired lieutenant with the Boulder, Colorado, Fire Department. She was one of the co-founders of WFS in 1982. Linda has been presenting workshops for WFS conferences since the very beginning, and has consistently been one of the most highly regarded members of our faculty. |
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| Homophobia is Alive and Well in the Fire Service |
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| How does homophobia enforce sexism? How is it used as a divisive wedge to further separate people across race, gender and class lines, and how does this reduce the effectiveness of the fire service? This workshop offers concepts and skills to challenge this form of bigotry, because unchallenged, it can be used to discredit all women in the fire service. |
| Faculty: jona olsson has been a political activist and educator for almost three decades. She claims in her life (as most of us can) the experience of both privilege and oppression. She is the founder and director of Cultural Bridges, offering cultural diversity programs for college or community groups and agencies. She is also Chief of the Latir Volunteer Fire Department in New Mexico. Participants in her workshops at previous WFS conferences offer high praise and appreciation for jona's frank, open approach, her sense of humor, and -- most importantly -- their renewed commitment to the struggle for justice. We are pleased to have her on our faculty. Her workshops have become a very meaningful part of our program. |
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| Balancing Work and Family |
| [Workshop description forthcoming] Limited to 25 attendees. |
| Faculty: Judith Vaughan-Prather and other staff of the Montgomery County Commission for Women |
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| EMS Management of Chemical and Biological Agents |
| This workshop will provide information about various types of chemical and biological agents, how to recognize the signs and symptoms of exposure, and how to manage these patients. It will also address toxicology, public health issues, and triage in WMD situations. Limited to 30 attendees. |
| Faculty: Stephanie Cacopardo is a Master Paramedic/Firefighter with Montgomery County Fire and Rescue. She began as a volunteer firefighter in 1976, and became a career firefighter in 1981. She is a member of the National Medical Response Team and responded to the Pentagon on 9/11. She is also an instructor on WMD awareness and preparedness. |
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| Stopping Sexual Harassment: The Manager's Role |
| [Workshop description forthcoming] |
| Faculty: Bernadette Lamson, Associate County Attorney, Montgomery County Government |
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| Get Fit and Fit In |
| This workshop will provide attendees with physical and mental tips that can let them succeed with confidence in the fire service. Physical training tips will be inclusive of the demands of both wildland and structural firefighting, and we will also provide mental tips to help achieve physical goals. We will also cover motivational tips on obtaining confidence and gaining respect on the job, and how to handle problems if they occur. |
| Faculty: Renee Griffin is a firefighter with the Riverside, California, Fire Department, where she has worked for more than ten years. She is also an instructor in the fire program at Rio Hondo College, and in 2004 went through most of the training to become a smokejumper with the U.S. Forest Service. She has held positions in the structural and wildland fire service since 1991. |
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| African-American Women Firefighters' Networking Session |
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This session will be an opportunity for African-American women firefighters to meet to discuss issues of common concern and share success strategies. Please see information about networking sessions.
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