PEABODY — A group of 23 students got a crash course in being a firefighter Tuesday morning, getting a taste of active response drills and fire investigation as part of the Recreation Department’s Public Safety Academy for Teens.
On the second day of the four-day program, Capt. Ryan Gill and a group of other firefighters took the students — almost all of whom are Peabody residents — through a floor collapse, a ceiling collapse, a dummy-retrieval drill, and more, showing them a potential day in the life of a firefighter. Later, Capt. Chris Dowling and State Police Trooper Ken Belben talked students through the ins and outs of fire investigation — with an assist from K9 Starsky.
The program serves students in grades five through eight, and has grown since its inception in 2006. The department had to institute a waitlist this year, according to Maureen Sammon, who oversees the program for the Recreation Department. Sammon said the program offers both important instruction on fire safety and also a glimpse into a potential future career.
Students also secure CPR certification, thanks to Cataldo Ambulance.
Gill emphasized the teamwork the program teaches.
“I know a lot of this (shows) I am no good without the rest of my crew. And vice versa. They can’t do without me, I can’t do without them. We all need to work together in unison in order to get ourselves out,” he said.
Tuesday’s session was set to be held outdoors at Smith Barn near the Peabody Historical Fire Museum. But with rain bearing down on the city, organizers were forced to adapt and shift the program to the department’s Lowell Street headquarters.
Gill said that last-minute change served as a good representation of what firefighting is actually like.
“Being in the fire service, things can happen like this,” he said, snapping his fingers, “where we just have to change.”
“Yesterday was a perfect spot. It was supposed to be a perfect spot for today and the weather happened. But if there’s anything you know about firefighters, we can make anything work. And that’s the truth. Bubblegum and sticky tape or whatever, we can make it work,” he added. “We just have to adapt to the situation we’re given.”
If Tuesday is any indication, the Public Safety Academy will remain one of the Recreation Department’s most popular summer programs, with nearly every student seeming to thoroughly enjoy a morning inside the fire station. The fire pole in particular was a big hit with the kids, many of whom tried their luck at climbing up the beams that connect the first and second floors.
While 11-year-old Ryan Champigny may have his heart set on becoming a police officer — donning a Peabody Police cap and telling Gill he was hired by the department “four years ago” — he had high praise for the drills students were put through Tuesday, and the fire service in general.
“It’s fun — you get to learn different things,” he said. “I don’t know how they do it with all the gear on, but it’s really cool.”
Asa Gillespie, a 10-year-old who splits his time between Peabody and Salem, cited the floor-collapse drill — in which students are flung off a wooden plank on to a padded surface below — as a particular highlight.
“I really liked it,” he said. “It’s extremely fun.”
And for Kamryn Kent, the academy was a great place to spend her 11th birthday.
Kent said she came into the program scared, having watched episodes of “LA Fire & Rescue” with her father. Yet, she signed up for the academy anyway, with the goal of facing and overcoming her fears.
“It’s been great,” she said. “I’ve been so scared of all of this (but now) I’ve gained more confidence.”
“This is actually a cool experience,” she added, thanking her father and Peabody firefighters for helping her overcome her fears.
