Emma Rochon and Talira Savard are Grade 11 students at École secondaire Sieur-de-Coulonge (ESSC). They’re both teenage girls, and they’re both firefighters. 

Well, technically they’re not certified quite yet, but they hope to by the end of May if everything goes according to plan. 

The pair are students in ESSC’s firefighter training course, a first-of-its-kind initiative in Quebec started last year which allows students to get their Firefighter 1 certification while still attending regular high school classes. 

Once a week, students get together to learn firefighting skills with teacher Martin Bertand, who is also captain of the Bryson and Grand Calumet Fire Department. They run drills with local fire departments, get their first responder certification, and respond to emergencies. Students in the program are working hard in preparation for their final exam in May. 

Last Thursday Rochon, Savard, and Bertrand were in Quebec City for the Forces Avenir gala, an annual event that celebrates the accomplishments of high school students and educators across the province. 

The occasion? Their program had received a silver award in the “projet engagé” (dedicated projet) category, and was up for the “coup de coeur” (people’s choice) award. 

After two and a half suspenseful hours, Rochon and Savard were called up on stage to accept the “coup de coeur” award.

Both girls were nervous, especially because of the interview-style format in which the gala host asked the girls questions about the project. 

“I was in shock and surprised, but I was really proud of us,” Savard said. 

Bertrand, too, was proud. In an interview with THE EQUITY the day after the gala he said seeing the pair on stage brought a tear to his eye. “These girls have worked hard,” he said.

Rochon and Savard represented their class in Quebec City because they were elected co-captains by their classmates — a group that consists of mostly boys.

Savard was proud they got the nod over their male counterparts. “We’re not a lot of girls and it’s really awesome that we were picked by all the guys.” 

According to a 2021 nationwide survey by the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs, only 11 per cent of firefighters in Canada are women. 

Savard said it can be tough being a girl in a male-dominated profession, and in her short time as a first responder she’s seen her fair share of prejudice. 

“I’ve had a lot of men telling me, ‘Wait until the specialists arrive, wait until the pros get here’,” she said.  

While students in the program don’t get certified to respond to fires until the end of the program, early on they get first aid training that allows them to respond to calls and makes them fully trained in basic first aid, including CPR. 

On one occasion, on Savard’s day off, she just happened to be driving by when she saw a car accident. There was someone inside the car, and she wanted to make sure they were okay. The other man, who was standing outside the car, couldn’t believe Savard was a first responder, and wouldn’t move out of the way. 

“I am a first responder,” she insisted. “Would you please move? I need to get to the person.” 

The man didn’t move until Savard’s father, who had driven her to the call, raised his voice and told him to get out of the way. 

She said her young age, combined with her gender, make this kind of interaction not entirely uncommon for her. 

Rochon has also encountered occasional prejudice in the job due to her gender, but she has found the firefighter partners to be welcoming and accepting.  

“The firefighters at our fire department are really nice and they make me feel included and equal,” she said. 

She said she’s grateful for all the support from municipalities that have helped them with training, field work, and who invited them to their fire departments. 

“We wouldn’t be here without them,” she said. 

Rochon likes the program because it allows her to express herself. “Putting on makeup and stuff, that’s not my thing. I’m more of a heavy lifter, I like being active and helpful,” she said.  

Her favourite part is going on calls with the Mansfield fire department. “I like talking to people and helping people,” she said. “I feel like people are really grateful around where we are for the fire department and the first responders.” 

Both girls have taken inspiration from the program and intend to pursue a career in public safety. After high school, Savard and Rochon want to become paramedics. Rochon has been looking into a four-month online firefighting course, culminating with two weeks of in-person training at the Texas Fire Academy in San Marcos, Tex.. 

Bertrand, a firefighter of 20 years, said it’s heartening to see young people interested in this kind of work. 

“There is a huge need for firefighters in the Pontiac. We help young kids develop, and at the same time we get them involved in our communities,” he said, adding that seeing the next generation interested in firefighting has rekindled his own interest. “It’s pretty cool to see them learn and mature through all this.” 

Bertrand said sometimes it can be hard for the students juggling their regular school schedules with the demands of the program, and that because they only meet once a week it can sometimes be challenging to keep the students motivated. 

But he’s proud of everyone in the program, including Rochon and Savard, who he has seen grow and mature. He was especially proud of how they did at the gala, getting up on stage and representing their school and community with grace. 

“These two girls were like rock stars,” he said. 

After the students won the award, their phones were blowing up with messages from back home. “It’s like we were celebrities,” Savard said.

When the gala ended Rochon and Savard were approached by both girls and boys who wanted to learn more about the program. One 14-year-old girl who recently moved to Canada told them she wants to pursue a career in firefighting, and was awestruck seeing two girls in firefighter uniforms up on the big stage. 

The ESSC girls told her how to get involved in her local community, and even extended an invite to come visit them in the Pontiac.

“I felt really proud of myself and the whole crew,” Rochon said, adding that it feels good to inspire other people to contribute in their own communities. 

Bertrand said the girls were great representatives of the whole group of students, of whom he is extremely proud, who are all working hard toward getting their Firefighter 1 certification in May. 

“Hopefully this will give us the push we need to finish the year strong.”