As I was driving into Alpena from Grand Lake last week I felt a shudder in my vehicle followed by a pull to the right and a loss of normal steering. I recognized it as a flat tire and immediately pulled to the side of the road. With traffic whizzing by at 55 mph, I started to inspect the damage when a young man from the Alpena Township Fire Department, which was across the street from where I was, stopped, came over and suggested I pull into their lot. I assumed it was just for my safety and to get me out of harm’s way (which was appreciated) but the young man – who’s name was Cain – immediately started to pull out my tire jack to change the tire.

He was joined shortly by another fire department member named Andy and between the two of them had the large full size spare out from under the car, the flawed tire removed and the spare installed. They even found the hole in the tire and marked it so I could get it repaired. They completed all of this in a fraction of the time it would have taken me and had me safely back on the road in minutes.

Therefore I want to express my gratitude to the Alpena Township Fire Department and especially Cain and Andy for jumping in and helping me out. They are great examples of going above and beyond. The citizens of our area are fortunate to have firefighters who not only help when on a call, but also reach out to help someone with a less serious need.

DREW MATUSZAK,

Presque Isle