North Reading Cop Becomes Firefighter

Lifelong North Reading resident Michael LeBlanc became a police officer in town in 1998, and swore to faithfully serve and protect his fellow townspeople.

According to the Police Blog, for LeBlanc, that meant protecting and serving on more than just one level: He joined the North Reading Fire Department as the newest firefighter-paramedic.

The North Reading Police released this statement:

“It what would be considered a highly unusual occurrence in public safety circles, Mike as a Police Officer had successfully switched hats so to speak, from the navy blue police duty cap to a black and gold firefighter’s helmet, again taking an oath committing to protecting and serving the North Reading community in a far different but equally important way.

Those who have worked with and or have been close to Mike over the years were all well aware of his appreciation and enthusiasm for what his brothers in the fire service do for the local community. Mike has always been renowned for excelling in the areas of mutual aid, which as a police officer he provided to the North Reading Fire Department. This aid came during response to fires, car crashes and medical emergencies to name a few. Mike was one of several Police Officers who were certified as emergency medical technicians (EMTs). As an EMT, Mike was able to provide care to those in need at a higher level than traditional first responders are able to. Mike’s high level skills as an EMT, providing emergency medical care led to him becoming a certified trainer in areas such as CPR, patient care and the use of AEDs (automatic heart defibrillators). As a trainer, Mike enthusiastically trained not only other first responders but many members of our community in those empowering and lifesaving skills.
Over the years Mike’s appreciation for the fire service noticeably grew and Mike developed high quality working and personal relationships with the members of our Fire Department. In 2014 based on a personal recommendation from NRFD Chief William “Bill” Warnock, Mike was hired by the Town of Middleton, MA, as an “On-Call Firefighter”. This time spent as an On-Call Firefighter was the tipping point for Mike, at which time he decided to take the necessary steps which would allow him the possibility of someday becoming a full time Firefighter.”