Deputy fire chief retiring after 45 years

NORTH SMITHFIELD, R.I. (WPRI) -- A North Smithfield firefighter is hanging up his helmet this week after serving the community for nearly half a century.

Deputy Fire Chief Craig Beausoleil is calling it quits with a big smile on his face. He's retiring Friday after spending 45 years on the job.

The 63-year-old joined the force when he was just 18 years old, and back in 1969, it was an all-volunteer squad.

They used to keep radios by their sides and respond from their homes, while one person brought the truck to the scene. Eventually, he worked his way up and scored a paid job with the department.

He said he stayed on the force for so long because he liked helping others.

"I've just been here since I was a kid, enjoyed it, fell in love with it and stayed," he said. "Helping the townspeople out back then was a great feeling."

Beausoleil also told us that one of the best moments of his career was helping to open the RI Fire Academy.

"It took a long time, but we finally got one built down in Exeter, and hopefully that will become a great training area for the firefighters coming up the ranks, because we didn't really have that kind of place that we could utilize," he said.

Beausoleil said he's not sure what his future holds next, but told us he plans to take a couple of months off to figure that out and work on his antique car.