Firefighters burst into burning buildings all the time to fight fires. Rarely do they do it without the sense of sound.

That’s what Emma Hardy, 20, has to do.

Hardy, of Portland, Maine, is deaf, but isn’t letting that stop her from pursuing a career as a firefighter.

“I want to prove to people that I can do this despite the fact that I’m deaf,” she said.

Hardy is one participant at an all-female firefighter training camp called Camp Fully Involved with the New Hampshire Fire Academy in Concord. In the camp’s sixth year, females ranging in age from 14-20 spend a week learning the ins and outs of becoming a firefighter.

With the help of volunteers, the women learn about the breathing techniques and equipment used to fight fires. They deal with live fire, rappelling and forcible entry by roof using an ax. And their gear alone weighs up to 60 pounds.

Dave Danielson, the public information officer at the academy, helped organize the camp.

“The idea is to give the girls exposure to firefighting as a profession and give them the confidence that they can do this, too,” Danielson said.

The camp came to Nashua on Friday to put all of their skills together and have the trainees fight a fire in a building at the Nashua landfill, with the help of fire crews from Nashua, Merrimack and Portsmouth.

Jess Wyman, a retired fire marshall from Nashua, and Charlene Bollinger are the camp’s directors.

During the week, the trainees rappelled down a five-story building, learned about extraction and pulling trapped victims from cars, and even dealt with a flashover, the event when a fire suddenly explodes.

They also practiced getting dressed in their gear quickly, and were even awakened at 3 a.m. to get the full experience of rolling out to a fire in the middle of the night.

“They really get a combination of everything,” Danielson said.

The participants had to apply for the program, and some of them traveled far from home to be here.

Anastasiya Mironichenko, 18, came from Portland, Ore. She said she did it “because of love.”

“I like doing the extreme, and I wanted to challenge my fears,” Mironichenko said. “So I know what to do and just being independent. It’s just something different, and I like to be physical.”

While most of the participants start the week with little knowledge about firefighting, there are some who have already come to love it.

Courtney Graham, 16, of Harwinton, Conn., joined her local fire department thanks to her father.

“My dad was a firefighter, so I picked it up from him, and we’re friends with a lot of the guys in the department,” Graham said. “My interest has been growing ever since.”

Graham said she does drills with the department and even goes out on calls.

But for some, the meaning of firefighting goes even deeper.

Cassandra Fox, 18, participated to honor her stepmother, who died recently after a battle with breast cancer. Fox was wearing her stepmother’s gear.

“I just wanted to know what firefighting is like,” Fox said. “It’s incredible, but it’s tough; it’s so hot in there. It takes a lot more work than you think it does.”

Sarah Fox had been a firefighter at the Portsmouth Fire Department for 10 years. This year, in her honor, the Portsmouth Fire Fighters Charitable Association created the Sarah Fox Memorial Fund. It gave scholarships to some of the camp participants, as well as paid for all of their T-shirts.

“People had given donations in her honor, and we found that this camp was a great fit,” said Russell Osgood, a Portsmouth firefighter. “It’s important to honor her memory. Giving back is very important.”

Osgood said the organization also has Sarah’s Ride, a fundraiser to help raise money, on Sept. 1.

“I think she would be proud,” Cassandra Fox said about her role at the camp.

Jordan Chapman, 14, of Russell, Mass., was having the time of her life.

“My friend inspired me. I just want to show people that we can do the same as guys,” Chapman said of her reason for attending the camp. “And having all of your sisters with you, it’s the most amazing thing in the world to fight fire.”

The participants were expected to graduate Friday night, knowing they completed what some others might never do.

And as for Hardy: She plans to continue school at Southern Maine Community College, where she studies fire science, and she hopes to get a job as a firefighter.

“I’d like to help save people,” Hardy said.

Kaitlin Joseph can be reached at 594-6573 or kjoseph@nashua
telegraph.com.