By JON BAKER

CENTRAL FALLS — Edgar Santiago, a 12-year-old sixth-grader at Segue Institute for Learning, wore a nervous grin as he donned turnout gear, a fire helmet, self-contained breathing apparatus and other equipment on Thursday afternoon.

Veteran Central Falls firefighter Chris Gray then told the boy to remain calm as he entered a simulated smoke trailer with his Segue classmate, Natasha Setaro, who was dressed similarly and carried a thermal imaging camera (TIC).
“Remember, the coolest air and the best visibility in a fire is close to the floor,” Gray reminded the young tandem. “Stay together, and let the other guy know you're there at all times.”
Seconds later, as other youngsters (victims) exited the trailer giggling and saying, “Wow! Cool!” Santiago emerged in tears. Gray immediately tried to calm him, telling him the smoke — created by liquid that, when heated, causes harmless steam — couldn't hurt anyone as it's non-toxic.
“It felt weird having all that equipment on,” Santiago said afterward. “It felt like rocks were on top of me. When I went in there, it was scary, because I couldn't see anything. I didn't know what to do. I was worried about getting out.
“I'm still glad I had this experience,” Santiago continued. “I learned what a firefighter has to do to save lives, and how he uses his equipment to help him. I know now it's a hard job because you not only have to put out fires, but help people to
Welcome to the first-ever Central Falls Fire Department Junior Fire Academy, which began in mid-February for approximately 20 middle school-aged children around the city. The eight-week course was designed to give such youngsters an in-depth view into the world of firefighting.
On this particular occasion — call it Week 7 — the kids not only experienced what it was like to escape a manufactured fire scene in the trailer, a mini-apartment borrowed from the Pawtucket Fire Department, but also were introduced to equipment and took a ride around the city on a real fire truck.
“I teach new firefighters with the State Fire Academy as a nationally-certified instructor, so this was right up my alley,” smiled Capt. Bob Bradley, a 22-year veteran firefighter. “These sessions, held every Thursday afternoon, have gone great. The kids have a blast, and I have a lot of fun, too.
“I try to give them something to think about each week,” he continued. “This week was our last before graduation, so we tried to tie everything they've learned together. You could see by the way they answered my questions they were into it, excited about it. After all, they didn't have to be here; they chose to be.
“As for Edgar, I told him freaking out in a fire happens all the time, even to young and experienced firefighters. They can be inside and have an equipment malfunction, and they have to learn how to deal with it. The message we're trying to get across is to relax, stay low where air is cleanest and visibility is best, and listen to the firefighters, who in this case were 'academy-mates.' For a little guy, he did a great job. We're all proud of him.”

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Back in January, just after the Youth Police Academy had ended, Fire Chief Rene Coutu received a phone call from John Laboissonniere, a former police officer who now works for the Channel One/Ralph J. Holden Community Center.
When Coutu asked Bradley if he'd like to head the Junior Fire Academy, funded by a federal grant, he jumped at the opportunity.
“I love teaching,” Bradley said. “I met with John at Channel One, he gave me a rough idea of what he was looking for and I just ran with it. I developed a curriculum, and I've been following it each week.”
The first Thursday revealed to the children the definition of various fires and methods to extinguish them, and watched a video of the CFFD's history. The following week, they discovered how equipment is used, and how to wear gear correctly, and the next, took a complete station tour.
Week 4 concentrated on how the three CFFD engines work, what equipment each carries and why. At the conclusion of the lecture, students took a close look at Engine No. 2 — a pumper, while the following Thursday, Bradley presented first-aid instruction, including what situations require immediate contact of emergency medical services.
On March 4, Bradley exhibited to the kids — most from Segue Institute — how an aerial ladder works, and the similarities of equipment used on a pumper and that ladder. The second phase of that session taught them the proper use of an extinguisher; in short, the P.A.S.S. method (an acronym for “Pull” the pin, “Aim” at the base of the fire, “Squeeze” the trigger and “Sweep” back and forth).
This past Thursday, after the simulated smoke trailer exhibition, firefighters filled a 55-gallon drum cut in half with “combustibles” — wood, cloth, paper, etc. — and lit it on fire. Bradley asked the children to step a bit closer and feel the “radiant heat,” which travels sideways. As the kids giggled, the instructor taught them a person doesn't have to touch a fire to be burned.
When an adult firefighter extinguished the blaze properly, Bradley said, “As you can see, a really small extinguisher can stop a big fire.” In other words, the dry chemicals inside suffocate it.
Bradley's volunteers also created a kerosene/gasoline-type blaze, squashing that with water, which caused a huge cloud of smoke, leaving the kids running back back into the station bays.

**

As he watched, Chief Coutu admitted he loves the idea of instructing Central Falls youth about the fire department and the many roles of firefighters.
“This is terrific; we're always trying to get a leg up on educating the public on exactly what we do,” he said. “To start that education on this level is great. I mean, we're always looking to recruit from the community, and this is how a lot of these guys started — not by an academy but just hanging around the fire station and learning from the older guys.
“Starting them off in middle school, hopefully, they'll get the bug,” he added with a grin. “Capt. Bradley has done a wonderful job of assembling the lesson plans. As the senior instructor here in Central Falls, he took it upon himself, and he didn't have to do that. Then again, neither did the other guys who are here.”
Coutu pointed out several firefighters attended this session on their day off, volunteering their time to aid Bradley. They included Gray (who brought along his son Giovanni, a Lincoln Middle School eighth-grader as a volunteer to gain National Honor Society community hours) and firefighters Mark Landry and Mike Rodrigues.
“In this (simulated smoke trailer) scenario, they told the kids they always have to know their exits from their home in a fire/smoke setting,” he said. “They showed them the layout of the trailer, which is more like a camper. They filled it with smoke, then said, 'OK, find you're way out.'
“It's realistic because you can't see, but you're not choking. We also had our guys inside telling the kids not to panic when they see a figure like 'Darth Vader' crawling around the house.”
Stated Carlos Miranda, Segue's “On the Right Track” program manager and Junior Fire Academy director: “The kids have been really interested in this, and I think it's because Capt. Bradley has been awesome. You know, it's been fascinating for me, too. I didn't know that, years ago, the CFFD had stables where they kept horses to transport their equipment to a fire scene.”
Shania Dias, 11 and a Segue sixth-grader, revealed it was mighty “weird” to walk through a smoke-filled apartment.
“It was a little scary because you didn't know if you were going to be safe; you had to walk down the stairs, and I was afraid of falling,” she offered. “I took part in the Police Academy, and they're both so fun. Before the police academy graduation, we saw so many things, and even had a mock murder scene. Here, we went into a smoky trailer, and I've never been on a fire truck before.
“I've learned a lot of new things, and it's information I don't think I'll ever forget.”
Revealed Bradley: “If John Laboissonniere asked me to do this tomorrow, I would in a heartbeat. It's both educational and fun, and not just for the kids.”