Providence Journal photo / W. Zachary Malinowski
Katie Nichols, 29, is the first female firefighter in 118-year history of Central Falls.
CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. -- Robert E. Bradley Jr., a veteran firefighter and product of a family of police and firefighters, was sworn in on Friday night as the city's second full-time fire chief in 24 years.
Bradley, 52, a 25-year veteran, is the 14th fire chief since the city was founded in 1895. He succeeds Rene Coutu, who died in December 2010. The financially strapped city had held off filling the post.
But the ceremony was historic for another reason: Katie L. Nichols, 29, of Warwick, was introduced as the first female fighter in the city's 118-year history.
The moving ceremony at the Madeira Club, a popular spot for political fundraisers in the city, drew more than 250 family members, friends, firefighters and police officers.
CORRECTION: The initial version of this story incorrectly said that Robert E. Bradley Jr. was the city's first full-time fire chief in 24 years.