Lexington fire camp honors legacy of Lt. Brenda Cowan while inspiring young women to join fire service

LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — The Lexington Fire Department is running a one-day camp introducing young women to careers in firefighting — and keeping the legacy of the department's first Black female firefighter alive.

For more than a decade, the department has held the Brenda Cowan Fire Camp in honor of Lt. Brenda Cowan, Lexington's first Black female firefighter, who was killed in the line of duty in 2004.

"This is a one day camp to encourage, uh, young ladies aged 15 to 22-23 to come learn about the fire service and see that it could be a career for them," Maria Oney, assistant chief at the Lexington Fire Department, said.

Oney said the camp is also a tribute to Cowan's lasting impact on the department and the broader community.

"To be able to have a camp in honor of her to encourage and show young women that they can come here and they can make a difference just like Brenda did, uh, is really the best testament we can give to her," Oney said.

The camp puts young women through hands-on training, from handling fire hoses to learning how firefighters extricate people from vehicles, giving them a close-up look at the job.

"It really shows what an incredible impact she had on our community and how heartbreaking her loss was for all of us, um, and the importance of recognizing, uh, people who step up and serve where others hadn't before," Oney said.

For Chelsey Gerardi, the experience has turned into a career goal. After attending the camp for the past three years, she now plans to apply to the fire academy.

"It just means like showing up for everybody um you're here for Brenda, um, showing like all the women that it is possible and always having a good attitude is like the best and main part about being here," Chelsey Gerardi said.

But Oney said the camp is about more than recruiting or teaching firefighting skills — it's about helping young women see what they're capable of.

"It's been empowering for them, right, to, to look at this ladder or this hose and and think, can I, can I lift that, can I move that? can I and to step up and be encouraged by each other and build each other up and then do it and leave, they may not leave wanting to be firefighters, but they're gonna leave knowing they're stronger than they thought they were," Oney said.

Oney said exposure to programs like this helps introduce young women to a career field where they are still underrepresented. The Lexington Fire Department has 29 women out of 635 on the department.

"We have 29 women on the department out of 635, so we've got some room to grow, and it's important. The perspective is important, um, having. People out there on this job doing this job that younger women can see that this is an option for them and it's a fantastic option for them because you get to serve your community every day you get to be there for somebody in your community and it's a gift," Oney said.

Gerardi said the message to other young women is simple. "Never be intimidated by anything, um, unless like. You should always be willing to try something new like get out of your comfort zone," Gerardi said.

For more information contact LFD-Recruiting@lexingtonky.gov

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