Sirens wail as smoke billows from the fields.

From the cars.

From the homes.

The weight of the smoke crushes people from the inside out and creates a darkness that makes surroundings nearly impossible to see. While others desperately flee from the flames, a dauntless few learn to run right into the middle.

Their work will save lives.

Canyon Fire Department’s “Explorers” program teaches this life-changing work to students ages 14-21.

The Explorers meet every Tuesday evening in the fire station at 7:30. The program typically lasts two hours, and during that time, many hands-on activities are interspersed with classroom instruction. The students are exposed to several conditions and training practiced by full-time firemen.

“The Explorers can do everything that a fireman can do. They just can’t do it for real,” Assistant Fire Chief Rob Thompson said. “They do all of the same trainings we do. They just can’t go and actively fight a fire in the place of a fireman.”

While the Explorers may not be able to put out live fires, they go through several trainings that imitate the struggles and conditions of the activity. Some of these include loading hoses, working with the ladders, and even going through a smokehouse using a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).

“The smokehouse simulates being in an attic or in a dark house with no lights on at all,” junior Jordan Whitfill said. “We have SCBA’s on, which are these fancy little masks covering our faces and we get to crawl through the trailer.”

In the trailer, the students have to maneuver through an obstacle course in full gear. The course includes crawling through tunnels, climbing ladders, and avoiding objects all while staying together and completing the course as a team. While their training is important, Thompson said he makes sure the students have fun as well.

“It’s not all training, and it’s not all classwork,” Thompson said. “It can’t all be work. We have to take some time and relax. This makes sure that we have a lot of fun with what we do.”

With the countless games the Explorers play at meetings, their definition of “fun” may be different than most others. From water polo to hide and go seek with thermal imaging cameras, the department has many options. Junior Keevan Wood’s preference is “going on air” with the SCBAs.

“There are big oxygen tanks that you wear when you go into a fire,” Wood said. “You hook them onto your mask and get a good seal so you don’t breathe in the smoke. It makes me feel like an astronaut.”

Members said they have different reasons for joining the program. Some were convinced by friends, while others were interested in the various activities and learning opportunities offered by the department. But for most of the current Explorers, family or dreams inspired them to participate.

“For me it’s kind of a family legacy between my brother and my dad,” junior Jacob Sappington said. “It’s kind of a family thing for me to do it, but I also enjoy the leadership opportunities and the community service involved. Those are both good aspects.”

No matter the reason for joining, the Explorers all said that they would recommend the program to others, and several said that their experience at the station was nothing short of incredible. The students all said they have fond memories, high standards and unbreakable bonds formed by the program.

“We’ve built the Explorers program so it’s like a second family,” Thompson said. “I don’t act like a typical fire chief, barking orders. We’re more like a group of people who get together and have a good time. We’ve created an atmosphere where the kids feel like they’re included in the group at a young age. From firemen to Explorers, we really have become a family.”