Fourteen-year-old girls who sign up for firefighter training this summer through the Lebanon Fire District can thank Londyn Randall for the opportunity.
It was 2018 and Randall was just 14 when she told her mother she’d like to try Lebanon’s new Linn County Young Women’s Fire Academy.
Then in its first year, the academy was geared for ages 16 to 19. But Randall’s mother called Lt. Erin Nunes, who was organizing the academy, to see what might be done.
“I remember asking her mom, is she very mature? Do you think she can do this camp?” Nunes said. “And she said, ‘Absolutely.’” So Nunes agreed and Randall signed up. She did so well that Nunes decided the minimum age for all subsequent camps would be lowered to 14.
“I realized, this is the age group we should be including,” Nunes said.