Peabody FD shows local youths clues to arsonists

PEABODY – An alarming three fires broke out at Brooksby Farm this week, all of which were determined to be arson.Investigations show that members of the Peabody Fire Department are to blame for the blazes. But, in the department’s defense, they were for a good cause.For the first time ever, both the Recreation Department and the Fire Department organized Fire Fighters in Training (FIT), a weeklong program that gave Peabody youths entering grades 7-9 an up close-and-personal look into the dangerous lives of the men in red.From CPR training to fire extinguishing and investigation, the 21 boys and 3 girls did it all. They even used the Jaws of Life to cut open the trunk of a wrecked car.”It was exciting,” said Shauna Cunningham, 14, whose uncle is a firefighter. “We just pushed a button and it did all the work.”Her younger sister, Ashley, 12, found the CPR training and certification provided by Atlantic Ambulance to be the best part of her experience.”It was pretty cool to learn how to do it,” she said.For others, it was figuring out the cause of the three fires that thrilled them the most. Firefighters used an empty trailer donated by Wayside Storage and set small fires throughout the interior. One was designed to be an accidental fire, while the other two were examples of arson.The students were asked to help uncover where it started, why it started, and what exactly caused it to spread. Massachusetts State Trooper Steve Cunningham and his K9 companion Yahtzee stopped by to help with their investigation.The 4-year-old black Labrador stole the show as it demonstrated its keen sense of smell and obedience. Cunningham explained to the group that Yahtzee is one of few other dogs throughout the state that fire investigators use to detect accelerants, such as gasoline or paint thinner.In between sniffing out hot spots, Yahtzee took short breaks to lick students’ faces and lounge in the shade, the simple pleasures of life as a dog.The course was taught in a joint effort by Peabody firefighters Joseph DiFranco, Jeff Maguire, Christopher Dowling, and eight others willing to volunteer their time.It finished with an obstacle course Friday that involved the students competing in teams to rescue and drag body dummies from a fire, extinguish fires using a fire hose, and racing to run the length of the hose from the side of the truck.For DiFranco, the course was more than just a fun way for the kids to spend their hot summer days; it was a valuable learning experience.”We just trained 24 kids how to save lives,” he said. “That’s 24 more (CPR certified) people out there.”DiFranco said he hopes that the camp somewhat demystifies fire.”Fire is such a powerful and mystifying thing to kids,” he said in an earlier interview. “We’re trying to?take the power away from it. In order to really understand it for what it is, you need to make it not something you’re in awe of?but something you can control.”The majority of the kids who attended did so because they hope to become a firefighter someday.”It’s a cool job because you get to put out fires and help people,” said 12-year-old Josh Eugenio.Others weren’t so sure if this was the right profession for them until after the course.Ricky Gaff, 12, said there was only one spot left before his dad signed him up for the course without his consent.”I’m really glad he did it without asking me because I wouldn’t be here (otherwise).”