Spotlight LaPointe Fire Department

Photo by Marshall Andreas

Just over two years ago, in the early morning hours before the sun was even thinking about coming up, our radios, pagers, and E dispatching systems started telling us to respond to a fire downtown. It quickly became clear that the fire we were responding to was our own fire hall. On the way to this call, I contacted Police Chief Defoe to make sure that the officer who just got off duty took the ice road home to the mainland and was indeed not sleeping at the fire hall. With this verified as true, I went back to starring at the incredible glow in the sky I was heading to. As I pulled to the scene, it was surreal as the equipment bay was fully engulfed by fire and starting to collapse. Three fire fighters at this moment had also made sure our law enforcement friend was not in the building and had rescued whatever important files and the fire department equipment they could. The fire wall that separated the equipment bay from the officers’ dorms, office, and training area did its job and held for a short time. When the roof started collapsing in this area, it helped push the last firefighter out the window with the air being squeezed out of the dying building. I tried sizing up this catastrophe first by making sure everyone was safe and accounted for. This being the case we started doing anything we could. We busted the door down to law enforcement’s garage and got their vehicles to safety. We pulled the decommissioned ambulance away from the building.... incidentally the ambulance gave a fire fighter a safe retreat as the gable landed on the ambulance and offered room for escape. Shortly thereafter our friend Chief Hood from Red Cliff, with his wife Abby and a crew of firefighters, came across the ice road in their brush truck to assist. Chief Hood had the smarts to call

Bayfield, Washburn, and Ashland to have their lightest vehicle’s respond over the ice road to try and help. I contacted the town administrator and gave Lisa Potswald the horrible news. She drove to the scene and arrived as ambulance personnel were also arriving to witness the complete destruction. As 100% of the fire department and EMS gear was gone, all we could do was assist our neighboring departments in putting the fire down as much as possible. As the sun came up, we started planning what we must do........right then and there the rebuilding of our emergency services commenced.

We held many emergency meetings throughout that day and the weeks and years that followed. Within 48 hours, with help and donations pouring in, we were able to continue offering emergency services. The DNR offered up two mid-sized pumper trucks and Red Cliff left one of their trucks they responded with. Equipment flooded in from all over Wisconsin and Duluth. After 72 hours, I made a statement that we could effectively fight fires on Madeline Island. Throughout the first year we replaced the apparatus lost with purchasing and donations.

THE FIRE

Photos by Rick Reichkitzer

Photo by Marshall Andreas

Now to rebuild the fire hall. Number one on our wish list was fire suppression to protect our everything; this tragedy will never repeat itself. The monetary donations came fast and furious and the ladies at town hall did an amazing job keeping track of all of the madness involved. Dorgene would hand me a fist full of thank you cards almost daily for me, Bill, and Cynthia to sign. We formed committee after committee to commence the rebuilding process. I’m going to spare you the process on what had to transpire to get to today.....Today we have the most secure, fire resistant building on Madeline Island. I don’t think I can properly thank everyone as there are hundreds involved, but I will start with thanking the entire fire department for being tough throughout the two years of rebuilding. An unimaginable amount of time and energy has been put into this effort. Next the people from near and far that donated equipment and money, also the town administrator, town board members and chair, and the hard-working town hall employees. Thank you public works and the roads foreman as we took over your buildings for sheltering our equipment. A special thanks to Joan Martin and Cynthia Dalzell for the beautiful interior designs.

Saturday, March 3rd we return home and have never faltered during this ordeal. The fire department remained stronger than ever.

The week we lost our fire hall, 2 years ago, someone told me “there’s a silver lining in everything. “ I saw the silver lining the moment we were officially able to move back home. New fire house, new gear, new apparatus.... more than we ever had in a building that will protect it always.

Photo by Rick Reichkitzer

Photo by Elouise Andreas