Wake County Camp Ignite returns, recruits teen girls into firefighting

Camp Ignite is back in Wake County with a direct workforce goal: pull more girls into firefighting before they lock in college majors or career tracks in a field where women made up only 5.1% of firefighters nationwide in 2025. The free, weeklong camp runs July 27-31 and is hosted by the Cary Fire Department, Apex Fire Department and Morrisville Fire & Rescue Department.

The program is built for North Carolina girls ages 14 to 18 and is meant to make fire service feel visible, practical and possible. Campers will spend the week learning hose operations, ladder work, first aid and problem-solving, with female firefighters from Cary, Apex and Morrisville leading the training. Apex has described the camp as a way to help girls picture themselves in roles that have historically lacked female representation, and to hear directly from women leaders already working in the field.

The local pitch goes beyond inspiration. Cary says a former Camp Ignite participant was later hired by the Apex Fire Department, and four other participants have gone on to join local junior firefighter programs. That puts the camp squarely in the middle of Wake County’s recruitment pipeline, where departments are trying to build interest early instead of waiting until applicants are already deep into school or the workforce.

Campers will be dropped off and picked up at Bond Park in Cary, with transportation provided to fire stations in Cary, Apex and Morrisville during the week. The setup gives teenagers a rare chance to move between departments and see how fire service training works across town lines, while also meeting the women who could become their mentors.

The camp’s final day will end with a career fair and graduation celebration, a sign that the program is intended to do more than fill a summer schedule. Registration for the 2026 session closed May 8 at 5 p.m., underscoring how quickly the chance closes for families looking to sign up. For Wake County, Camp Ignite has become less about a one-week experience than about whether local departments can turn early exposure into a stronger and more representative fire service workforce.