Although the band was founded by firefighters, the group currently is made up of only three firefighters.

Pontack, the band’s lead singer, joined the East Lansing Fire Department 29 years ago with the hopes of saving lives. Since starting the band, Pontack has not only been able to help people through his work as a firefighter, he looked to bring music to audiences across Michigan.

The band has stayed faithful to performing ‘70s classic rock covers, said Jeff Lund, guitarist and retired East Lansing firefighter.

“Musically, we’ve stayed in the same genre because we are what we are,” Lund said. “We’re basically a party band. We play a lot of songs that people want to hear.”

The band members said they originally chose that genre because it is what they grew up loving and listening to. However, after playing rock classics for nearly two decades, they have come to find that everyone loves it.

East Lansing firefighter and paramedic Nathan Floyd said when he first saw the band perform, he was astonished by the range of people their music appealed to.

“There will be 20 year olds having a good time and 67 year olds having a good time,” Floyd said. “Everyone is out there sharing the dance floor. It’s just a feel-good atmosphere that they’ve created.”

Lund said the way the band presents itself on stage and how they get the crowd involved is what makes them unique and is ultimately the reason they have remained popular for so long.

“People see that we’re really having fun, and it’s contagious,” Lund said. “The crowd really responds to a band that looks like they want to be there. The allure is, we’re a happy, fun sing-along participation band.”

Pontack said balancing playing in a rock cover band and being a firefighter with 24-hour shifts can be difficult, but with the support of family members and fellow firefighters he is able to enjoy doing both.

“It was a bit different for us and our families to get used to when you first start but you eventually adjust,” Pontack said. “We play at least two to three times a month. It takes away from some family time, but a lot of the time, my wife and kids will come out to the gigs, so it’s fun.”

His son, Joseph Pontack, said watching his father help people while making music inspired him to start playing the drums at an early age and get his paramedic and firefighter license as an adult.

“I’ve always known my dad to be in a band of some sort and as a kid I remember going to watch him play and going to almost every practice with him,” said Joseph Pontack, adding that he also spent a lot of time in the fire station with his father as a child.

Although the balance can be tough, Pontack said he and the band plan to continue to make music and bring happiness to anyone who will listen.