Firefighting hero and inspiration Kylie Paul is about to set off on a tour of the United States where she will learn skills and mentor fellow female firefighters.
Cape Town, South Africa (17 February 2022) – Kylie Paul was set to travel to the USA in 2020 before the pandemic but her plans quickly changed when the world went into lockdown. She was the first woman from Africa to be invited to the WTREX (a women in fire training exchange) in Virginia, United States. The training exchange is dedicated to skills development for firefighters.
Kylie is finally heading to the United States to take part in tour where she will lead, mentor and learn from the top female firefighters in the US. Kylie had originally aimed to raise the R25,000 for WTREX and she has been able to raise just under her goal, making up the difference herself in order to take up this opportunity.
Prior to the pandemic, Kylie was tasked to lead the first all-female wildfire crew in Africa in a successful partnership between NCC Environmental Services, Chrysalis Academy and the Western Cape Government (provincial) Department of Community Safety.
This programme was called Team Juliet and focussed on empowering women out of poverty and disadvantaged communities while combatting wildfires in the Western Cape.
From there, Kylie went on to work with the Vulcan Wildfire Management and Vulcan Training where she continued to grow and solidify her position in the wildfire industry. Now with restrictions eased, she can embark on her long-awaited tour.
“Her story is really inspiring – how a very slight female has made such strides in a male-dominated industry, and the wealth of experience and learning that she will be bringing back to South Africa will hopefully inspire many more women in future.” – Rouvanne van den Berg
This journey is a huge one not only for Kylie, but also for South Africa as she will be coming back as one of the most qualified wildland firefighters in the country.
You can follow her journey via her Instagram account, the Sentimental Firefighter.
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