Rock Fire Battalion Chief Al “Alfie” LaPointe will be remembered for his dedication to the fire service and his talent for teaching others and making people laugh.
Mr. LaPointe, 52, of Fairview Heights, Ill., died March 2 following a two-year battle with cancer.
“He has given his whole life to save other people,” Mr. LaPointe’s wife, Brenda LaPointe, said. “Nobody deserves to get sick, and nobody deserves to get cancer. He has been in the service for a very long time. It is just not fair. We are all devastated. Nobody wanted to lose him. He is only 52 years old, and nobody should die like that.”
Mr. LaPointe got involved in the fire service when he was 13, participating in an academy sponsored by the French Village Fire Department for teens and taking part in the Fairview Heights, Ill., department’s explorer program.
He became a volunteer at French Village in 1989, and he started his professional career in 2000 when he joined the Rock Community Protection Fire District.
“I worked with him when he was first hired,” Rock Fire Chief Kevin Wingbermuehle said. “We were on shift together. Later, he worked for me when I was a captain.
“He had a lot of experience when he came to us from the Illinois side. He was knowledgeable and engaged. He worked with the large-scale incident management team. He had a really solid background as far resources and application. He was a wealth of knowledge.”
Mr. LaPointe received an associate degree in fire service along with numerous other pertinent certifications.
Brenda said her husband, who also was a paramedic, was inspired to become a firefighter by his grandfather who worked in the field in South Fulton, Tenn.
“It was a passion of his. He loved to help people,” she said. “It was just his passion. He never wanted to stop learning. He was still taking classes during his battle with cancer.”
Brenda said Mr. LaPointe was diagnosed with cancer in November 2021.
“It was horrible to see him go through it,” she said. “We were always hoping for a miracle, and for a short time, he did get better and the cancer was shrinking. But then came a time when (treatment) did not help.”
Mr. LaPointe was born Jan. 15, 1971, in Belleville, Ill. He was the son of the late Alfred and Dorothy (Covington) LaPointe.
Along with his wife, he is survived by his children: Christopher (Heidi) Bagwell of Troy, Ill., and Courtney LaPointe of Fairview Heights, Ill.; and his grandchildren, Ava Rose Bagwell and Brooks Lawson Bagwell. He also is survived by four siblings, a father-in-law and sister-in-law.
Wingbermuehle said Mr. LaPointe was a genuine and caring person and a fun guy.
“He is a guy you would want to work with, whether it is the fire service or anything else,” Wingbermuehle said. “He was committed to the mission and a team player. He wanted what was best for the organization and the individuals. That is what he brought to the fire service every day. He was fun to be around. He was fun to work with, and when it came down to business, he was all business.”
Brenda said her husband had a great sense of humor and enjoyed playing practical jokes. He also was an avid hunter and fisherman.
She also said he had a passion for helping others learn.
“I don’t think there has ever been anyone who met him who has not loved him or learned from him,” Brenda said. “There has never been anyone he has not tried to teach or help. I don’t think you are going to find anybody who is going to say anything negative about him, which says everything about him.”
Wingbermuehle said Mr. LaPointe’s absence leaves a big hole at Rock Fire and the firefighting industry.
“He brought skills that are very difficult to replace,” he said. “It is hard to find someone who has the amount of experience and knowledge that he had. When there is a loss, you lose a big part of who you are. We will find ways to fill those gaps, but it will never be the same.
“It is tough. He made the department, fire service and community better.”
Wingbermuehle said Rock Fire employees have access to professional services and a chaplain program to help them deal with Mr. LaPointe’s death.
“I think mental health is a big topic that needs to be talked about more, so we will keep an eye on each other for that,” Wingbermuehle said. “Unfortunately, we are used to dealing with tragic situations, but when it is in your own home, it is much tougher. The big thing is we need to realize when it is this close to home, we have to be willing to step back and understand we will need extra support from the outside and that is OK.”
A visitation for Mr. LaPointe will be held from 3-7 p.m. Sunday, March 5, at Kassly Mortuary, 9900 St. Clair Ave., in Fairview Heights, Ill. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Monday, March 6, at the mortuary, officiated by Chaplain Bryan Menke. Burial will be in Lake View Memorial Gardens, 5000 N. Illinois St., in Fairview Heights, Ill.