BOISE, Idaho — In honor of National Firefighters Appreciation Day, a group of Girl Scouts ditched their uniforms and suited up in fire fighting gear.
Thanks to the Boise Fire Department, the Girl Scouts of Silver Sage got to experience real-life training and you could say they were fired up about the chance to train.
Seven girls from the troop shattered car windows, used fire hoses, and tackled the jaws of life during their training on Saturday.
Sixteen-year-old Ivy Denen dreams of becoming a firefighter or a Black Hawk pilot someday. She says today was a dream come true for her.
"I have eight brothers and so a lot of the times I feel not as strong and as cool as them, but when we have opportunities like this, especially as girls," she said. "It makes me feel really awesome."
Lisa Sanchez, a Boise City Council member and lifetime Girl Scout, got the idea to pair up the Girl Scouts and Boise firefighter after she participated in fire training.
"It really touches my heart to see our girls benefit from these type of experiences," Sanchez said. "I don't think when we picture firefighters that we picture a woman, it's just not a visual that we have, but I'm starting to learn that there is a long history of women in firefighting we just need to elevate that."
Saturday's training consisted of real-life scenarios that firefighters often face.
"Routine calls can be a structure fire here or maybe a rescue from a ladder at the other side of a building, car wrecks," Marcus Rainey, a Boise Fire captain training officer, said.
For the Girl Scouts, today's training was more than just the drills.
"It's not just about muscles and strength, it's about using your mind and recognizing that you are working with other people," Sanchez said.
A lesson Denen hopes to share with other young ladies.
"Being empowered and empowering yourself and finding other women who can empower you as well," she said. "And there are also other males that are super empowerful to us girls."