by Fred R. LaPoint, Fire Chief Paramedic | Nov 25, 2025 | Behind The Alarm
Dangers of Turkey FryersThanksgiving is coming up fast, and maybe this is the year you’ve decided to join the deep-fried turkey club. You’ve tasted one before—crispy skin, juicy meat, done in a fraction of the time—but you’ve never made one yourself. As this year’s...
by Fred R. LaPoint, Fire Chief Paramedic | Nov 16, 2025 | Behind The Alarm
By Fire Chief Fred R. LaPointTwo fires. Twelve days. One family in Meridian Township, Michigan, is learning the hard way that the devices we welcome into our homes and vehicles carry dangers most people don’t understand until it’s too late.The first fire started in...
by Fred R. LaPoint, Fire Chief Paramedic | Nov 14, 2025 | Behind The Alarm
I’m standing in what used to be a living room. The hurricane came through a week ago. The family is here – exhausted, shell-shocked, but grateful they survived. They’re already talking about rebuilding, about insurance covering it, about how they’ll get through...
by Fred R. LaPoint, Fire Chief Paramedic | Nov 3, 2025 | Behind The Alarm
Saturday, I stood in full turnout gear, watching smoke pour from the second-story windows of a donated home in Mason County. My pulse quickened—not from fear, but from anticipation. After more than 40 years in the fire service, I was about to step into something that...
