At every end of Alpena County on Tuesday stood emergency vehicles on the ready to assist, if needed.

Members of the Presque Isle Township Fire Department stationed themselves temporarily at the Alpena Township North station.

To the west on M-32 at the county border sat a Hillman ambulance in case of emergency, and the same was true to the south, at the Alcona County border on U.S. 23, where an Alcona County vehicle waited.

City, county, and Michigan State Police were throughout the impacted zone of the fire at the John A. Lau Saloon on Tuesday, redirecting traffic and keeping the public at a safe distance back from the scene.

And the Red Cross was at the scene to provide support to firefighters from the city, Alpena Township, Presque Isle Township, and the Alpena Combat Readiness Center.

And that is exactly the way it should be: neighbors helping neighbors.

When the chips are down, we need to be able to depend on others to help shoulder some of the responsibility when an emergency strikes.

City Fire Chief Bill Forbush was appreciative of the cooperation his department received.

“Our mutual aid partners were critical to the response,” Forbush said.

The fire was bad.

Real bad.

But it could have been worse had not everyone pitched in together.

(THE ALPENA NEWS)