Maybe you’ve heard of overnight camp, soccer camp or fishing camp — but this is something completely different: It’s “First Responders Camp” designed for older teens and young adults in the Twin Cities to expose them to everything from firefighting to hostage negotiation.

The camp is sponsored by The Learning Jet, a local nonprofit that emphasizes STEM and aviation education. It’s designed for about 30 high school and college-age campers from around the Twin Cities to experience what it’s like to be a first responder. 

It was launched by Camp Director Steve Hurvitz. The camp is free and is run on donations and grants. The hope is it will lead to a career path for some campers.

“We are trying to expose these youngsters to all the different parts of the discipline,” Hurvitz said.

“I was thinking of being a police officer, like a K9 unit. It gives more opportunities to see what I’d like to do and what kind of career path I want to go down,” said 17-year-old camper Annaballe Harklerode.

Campers get to experience it all, from firefighting to air rescues.

This is the second year they have held the camp and it’s getting so popular they had a waiting list this year. They are hoping to expand the camp to extra sessions next year.

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