by Fred R. LaPoint, Fire Chief Paramedic | Jan 28, 2026 | Behind The Alarm
Yesterday, our fire department assisted a neighboring agency on a tragic crash on M‑55 in Manistee County, MI. Snow was blowing sideways, visibility was collapsing, and traffic had to be rerouted around the scene. While standing in that intersection, watching vehicle...
by Fred R. LaPoint, Fire Chief Paramedic | Jan 22, 2026 | Behind The Alarm
The southern United States is staring down a dangerous ice storm with the potential to knock out power for days, cripple travel, and expose millions to life‑threatening cold. Most people in this region aren’t built—or equipped—for prolonged freezing rain and grid...
by Fred R. LaPoint, Fire Chief Paramedic | Dec 24, 2025 | Behind The Alarm
By Fire Chief Fred R. LaPointI’m going to tell you something that nobody wants to say out loud this time of year: for some of us, the holidays are the hardest damn days of the year.If you’re reading this in a fire station, a police locker room, an EMS bay, or a...
by Fred R. LaPoint, Fire Chief Paramedic | Dec 16, 2025 | Behind The Alarm
Photo Credit: Chris FranckowiakOn December 14th, two snowmobilers broke through the ice on a lake just south of us in Mason County, Michigan. Neither survived. Sadly, two families will have empty chairs this Christmas.I’ve been in the fire service for over 49 years....
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...
by Fred R. LaPoint, Fire Chief Paramedic | Sep 23, 2025 | Behind The Alarm
Not long ago, I stopped at a service station outside my jurisdiction to fuel up my personal vehicle. I was in full uniform as I had just come from a function, when I noticed an older gentleman on the opposite side of the pump island fueling his large motorhome—with...
by Fred R. LaPoint, Fire Chief Paramedic | Aug 5, 2025 | Behind The Alarm
“When the smoke comes for you, remember: it started with flames you chose to ignore.”As of August 3, 2025, Canada is facing one of the most devastating wildfire crises in recorded history:742 active wildfires210 are out of control and being fought with everything...
