President

Ashley Bergson

Ashley is a former paid on call firefighter with Creston Fire. While Ashley currently resides in Olds, AB and works as a Police Communications Operator for Red Deer RCMP, she still makes sure she can still be part of the Creston community by maintaining her status as a paramedic with BCEHS for the town. When she isn’t juggling the scheduling of her jobs, she loves to either be out and about with her doggie Mollie or curling up at home relaxing with her family. You may recognize Ashley as the behind the scenes gal for this camp for the last two years and this year will be no different - except for the added title of President for the board. 

When it comes to the decision to be a part of the Kootenay Ignite Mentorship Society Board, Ashley can only think back to her 12 year old self wanting to be a firefighter, wishing she could have gone to a camp like this. So now, she jumped at the opportunity to be a part of creating a camp for today’s females that want to be firefighters! There is immense pride in being a part of that inspiring and motivating environment for the campers and seeing the difference just three days can make for them.

vice president

Janice Dallaire

Janicé resides in the BC Columbia Valley and recently served as a paid-on-call lieutenant with Invermere Fire Rescue for nearly 8 years. In her day-to-day life, Janicé is the Emergency Program Coordinator for ʔakisq̓nuk First Nation where she gets to apply her front-line experience towards emergency and disaster mitigation, response and recovery planning. Janicé is a strong believer in community service and has sat on several non-profit societies over the past 12 years. She is currently the events coordinator for the CV Christmas Bureau. She possesses a growth mindset and strives to be a lifelong learner herself. She is incredibly passionate about teaching and mentoring in any way she can.

Janicé is an adventurous mom to three wild boys and together they love to travel as much as possible. They are currently in a friendly competition with one another to learn Spanish. Janicé began her adventure with Kootenay Ignite as a mentor in 2023 and an instructor in 2024. She is honored to now serve alongside these inspirational women on the Mentorship Society board and to help continue to plan and grow Kootenay Ignite for years to come.

Treasurer

Gina medhurst

She is the devoted wife of the Riondel Volunteer Firefighter Department’s Fire Chief, who has shown unwavering support and dedication to her spouse's courageous service to the community for almost 20 years.

In addition to her supportive roles in the fire department, she serves on the Kootenay Critical Incident Stress Management Team as a counsellor. Her expertise in this field is vital for helping individuals navigate through emotionally challenging times, providing them with the necessary tools to cope and heal.

Her passion for mentorship and coaching is evident through her various roles. She has been instrumental in guiding others, offering her wisdom and experience to help them achieve their goals and realize their potential.

She joined the Kootenay Ignite team as a mentor due to her passion for young women's mentorship and coaching. Her dedication is driven by the transformative journey she witnesses—seeing young women evolve from feeling nervous, timid, and unsure of themselves on the first day to standing powerful and proud by the end of the weekend. It is this remarkable growth that motivates her to jump into the heat each year, making a profound impact on the lives of those she mentors.

Secretary

Laura marsh

Laura is a paid on-call Captain/Safety Officer with Castlegar Fire Department. She has been with the fire department for 11 years now. She also has an industrial background as a team lead with her Emergency Response Team at Mercer Celgar Pulp Mill where she works full time. When Laura isn’t working, you can find her rocking the “cool” aunt title with her niece and nephew along with hanging out with friends. She also loves to spend time with her pets ( 3 cats and dog). 

Laura has been with Camp Ignite in both previous years where you might recognize her helping with car fires and rope rescue. Now, she is excited with her newly added title she has taken on - Secretary with Kootenay Ignite Mentorship Society Board of Directors.

She was inspired to become a firefighter due to her family being in the fire service. Her grandfather was her biggest inspiration as he created a fire hall in the small town where her family grew up to ensure the community had fire protection services. One of her biggest passions is creating opportunities for girls to explore the fire service—something she wishes had been available when she was in high school. She believes that exposure to firefighting at an early age can help young women see their potential in the field and break down barriers before they even arise.

director

carlene pires

Carlene Pires is a Paid-On-Call Captain with Kootenay Boundary Regional Fire Rescue (KBRFR) in Trail, B.C. Since starting as a firefighter in 2015, she became the first woman to be promoted to Captain in KBRFR's 40-year history in 2022. Carlene is also an EMR and a First Responder instructor.

As the Emergency Program & FireSmart Coordinator for the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary, Carlene is recognized for her leadership in wildfire resiliency, creating strategies to protect communities from wildfires.

Carlene balances her professional duties with being a mom and enjoys spending time in the Kootenay mountains with her two dogs and family, as well as playing softball.

Living in rural B.C., she understands the importance of having strong peer support to help advance women in fire services and is dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusivity. Carlene is deeply committed to community and mentorship, volunteering as a director for Fire Service Women BC and the Kootenay Ignite Mentorship Society. Her passion for mentoring extends to youth intrigued by the fire service and women aspiring towards leadership roles in this field. She has been an instructor with Kootenay Ignite since its inception in 2023.Through these efforts, Carlene endeavors to offer others the same encouragement, leadership, and advocacy that she has received, embodying her dedication to paying it forward within the community and the fire service. 

director

julie winter

Julie is a Lieutenant at Passmore Fire Department (in the RDCK). She has been in the fire service for over 6 years, previously having served on Sparwood Fire Department. In her current role, she is the Swiftwater Rescue Lead in Passmore, as well as manages the Social Committee. She is a certified First Responder and a full-service firefighter. She also works part time for the RDCK Fire Services doing admin. She loves everything FIRE!

Julie has participated in Kootenay Ignite (previously Camp Ignite – Kootenays) the last 2 years. First as a mentor and last year as an instructor. It has truly captured her heart to see the growth in the girls over just a couple days. As someone who has 3 daughters and 3 granddaughters, she loves to be part of something that empowers women and helps create a path forward for those that might consider this either in a Paid-On Call capacity or career.

director

laura dodman

Laura started her firefighting path in 1998 with Creston Fire as a paid-on-call, moving through the ranks to Captain. In 2019 she was offered a full-time position as Assistant Fire Chief and is currently Assistant Chief in charge of Operations & Prevention for Creston Valley Fire Service. Laura knew this was the career she wanted to pursue the first time she put on a set of bunker gear.

Throughout her career, both paid-on-call and full-time, she has been passionate about diversity and inclusivity within the fire service. Serving as President for 6 years with the Creston Firefighters Society and recently on the Board of Directors for Fire Service Women of BC (FSWBC) as the Treasurer. Both of these organizations support and encourage these attributes through empowerment and mentorship. When the opportunity arose to bring Camp Ignite to Southern British Columbia, Laura jumped in with both boots, collaborating with like minded female firefighters from the Kootenays and beyond...      

Kootenay Ignite Mentorship Society was established to bring out these opportunities for young women to find their passion, to challenge themselves, to inspire and to be inspired.