Ember Fire Academy celebrates 10 years of empowering women in fire fighting

Sept. 12, 2024, Whitehorse, Yukon — The tenth annual Ember Fire Academy began this week on September 9, introducing 12 women to fire fighting.

This free week-long program offers Yukon women ages 16 and up an opportunity to learn about the fire service in an empowering and inclusive environment, the territory reported in a press statement.

This year’s program, running from September 9 to 14, is hosted at the Hootalinqua and Ibex Valley volunteer fire departments north of Whitehorse, Yukon.

The curriculum focuses on structural fire fighting and emergency response tasks, providing an opportunity to explore options in career and volunteer fire fighting will learning new skills and improving their physical fitness, the territory said in a media release.

Since the program was launched in 2014, 119 recruits have participated, 26 of whom have gone on to join the fire service in the Yukon.