A volunteer firefighter in southeast New Brunswick has started a summer camp for teens interested in the fire service.
Jessica O’Dell of Maritime Ignite Fire Academy says she wishes a camp like this existed during her youth
Hannah Rudderham · CBC News
· Posted: Mar 28, 2026 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hour ago
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Jessica O’Dell, a volunteer firefighter, pictured using cutters, also known as Jaws of Life. Youth attending Maritime Ignite Fire Academy camps can participate in a simulated version of extricating someone from a vehicle. (Ron Ward Photography/Submitted by Jessica O’Dell)
A volunteer firefighter in the southeast New Brunswick community of Hillsborough has witnessed the recruitment struggles of volunteer firefighters firsthand.
“People [are] retiring all the time, and there’s just not enough interest in it in the younger generation to kind of be able to fill those gaps,” Jessica O’Dell, a volunteer at the Hillsborough Volunteer Fire Department, said.
To help fill the gap, she started Maritime Ignite Fire Academy, which will run summer camps for youth interested in the fire service this summer.
Campers 14 to 18 years old will learn about hose-handling,
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