F.F.A.M.

News From District 11 – July 2019

Greetings from the western side of the state. I hope everyone is having a good season so far, even though mother nature is being unfair with the rain. Also that everyone had a safe and fun July 4th. There’s been a lot of things going on across the state from summer fire school and fire tactics at the lake, to the July 4th activities within our own districts. A few of the events in District 11 have been the Firefest hosted by Independence 76. There was fun activities and a good turnout of antique fire trucks on display and even pumping master streams from a draft tank. Which was cool to see the old apparatus working as they did when they were new. The second big event was the inaugural, all girls, Catching Fury on June 22 and 29, which was a success. 

What is Catching Fury, you ask? Catching Fury is a preparatory precursor to its big sister: Camp Fury. This one day camp is an immersive experience for 8th and 9th grade girls. This year, women from Kansas City, MO Fire Department, Kansas City, KS Fire Department, Kansas City, MO Police Department, Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office, and multiple other agencies came together to give the campers a taste of a day in the life of a firefighter or police officer. Twenty campers ages 13 and 14 experienced a simulated fire, simulated traffic stops, an hour of physical training, police defensive tactics, and bucket rides on a ladder truck. 

Catching Fury gave the girls a sneak peek of what they might expect at Camp Fury.Camp Fury is a week long resident camp that will kick off June 7-12, 2020. The camp will be for registered Girl Scouts in 10-12 grade. The campers will learn firefighting, EMS, and law enforcement skills and tactics in addition to developing investigative abilities. Crime scene investigation, repelling, aerial climbs, canine tracking, and live fire drills are a few of the activities offered at camp. Each day will be a different experience. 

The goals of both Catching Fury and Camp Fury are not simply recruitment for the future. Both experiences help build more courageous, strong, and confident young women that will shatter glass ceilings regardless of the profession the end up choosing. With proper mentorship, children and young adults are positively impacted. Their behavior, attitudes, and relationships typically improve and they grow interpersonally and emotionally when they share positive experiences with others. These girls will develop their team building and leadership skills, overcome mental blocks, and push their limits. A perfect skill set for our future generation. 

Young women interested in Catching or Camp Fury must be registered girl scouts. If someone you know is interested in camp but isn’t a registered girl scout, go to gskcmo.org and join. 

If your department is interested in putting on a similar event in your district and want more information on Catching or Camp Fury it can be obtained at gsksmo.org. For volunteer opportunities, send a message to the Camp Fury KC Facebook page or feel free to email me and I can get you in contact with Kelsey Whetro in the program.

Also worth mentioning, Code 1 Wellness has teamed up with Buffalo Wild Wings to host Hero Bash 2019 at the KCI Expo center October 5, 2019. This will  support a PTSD assistance program to be launched across the state. There will be food, silent auctions, raffles, and live bands. If interested in tickets or being a sponsor go to the Code 1 Wellness Facebook page or email V.Kennedy@code-1-wellness.com.

I hope to see you all at the state fair in August come by and say hi and check out the rigs. Everyone be safe and watch out for one another.