Fighting fires and sharing history

IN 1991, Mark Cartledge decided it was his time to give back to the community.

Joining the Ballarat Fire Brigade, he’s offered his assistance to people in need as a Country Fire Authority volunteer.

For over 31 years, Captain Cartledge has fought fires, held the positions of 1st and 3rd Lieutenant, has been a Specialist Response Team leader, and is the brigade’s captain.

“I stay so I can continue to jump in and help members of the community when it’s the worst day of their life,” he said.

“I enjoy the management role, with just-over 70 members. It’s great to watch the younger members develop their skills, and grow, sometimes taking a career path in fire or police services.

“The social aspect of the brigade makes it really enjoyable as well. I’ve made a lot of good friends over the years, not just within our close, friendly brigade but from other brigades and emergency services.”

Captain Cartledge is an advocate for awareness of road trauma and was awarded a CFA Chief Officers Letter of Commendation for responding to a serious vehicle collision involving CFA firefighters.

But throughout his time as captain, he said acknowledging historic incidents of abuse at the brigade has been the biggest thing to manage.

“It was important to work with survivors, to listen to them… keep them engaged, and give them a place of reflection where they can come and tie their ribbons and sit.

“I didn’t want to hide and pretend it never happened,” he said.

For all this and more, Captain Cartledge is receiving an Australian Fire Service Medal this Australia Day.

Barkly Street’s iconic Ballarat Fire Brigade, established in 1856, remains a “very busy” station he’s proud to lead, responding to up to 500 calls annually.

“The site is a bit of a hidden gem with the history it holds and the stories it can tell,” he said.

“A lot of people aren’t aware of that, but part of our role is to get that history out there, and that’s why we open for Heritage Weekend and open days, to share our history, and fire safety information.”