HARRISONBURG, VA (Rocktown Now) — The deadline to apply for the Harrisonburg Fire Department’s Sixth Annual Camp Lit has been extended to next Thursday, May 15th.

The five-day camp will be held from June 16th to the 20th and provides an insight into the life of a first responder so more young women will consider public safety as a future career option.

Public Education Officer Lieutenant Erin Stehle said while more and more women are becoming firefighters, still only about 10 percent of all firefighters nationwide are women. “We want good people, regardless. And I think that for us, when we look at recruitment and retention, we really want a diverse group of people that have different backgrounds and maybe have had a career elsewhere, to bring those experiences and Camp LIT is really an opportunity to hit on a variety of first responder topics.”

The free program is open to girls ages 14 to 17 and more information can be found on the city’s website.