By Tyler Wright
Paul Yandle held the title of Captain at the CFA’s Emerald Fire Brigade for 22 years and last week, to the warm reception of the brigade’s volunteers and the wider community, he announced his decision to step down from the role.
An outpouring of appreciation saturated social media as locals took in the news – many thanking Paul for his “unwavering care and support” and “strong leadership” throughout the 35 years he has volunteered for the CFA.
Mr Yandle’s journey with volunteer firefighting began as soon as he turned 16 when he wanted to become involved in the community.
“Dad was an ambulance officer for about 40 years and he was in the CFA as a volunteer firefighter as well, [it was] something I grew up with as a child,” Mr Yandle said.
“The CFA is one of those things, you very quickly get to know a lot of people and make new relationships and friendships.”
In 1987, two years after he began volunteering, Mr Yandle became Apparatus Officer; looking after equipment and maintenance. He then held various lieutenant positions for more than a decade before being elected as Captain in 2000.
Each lieutenant holds a functional role in the brigade, taking control of a portfolio or area of the brigade’s operations and function.
The Captain is in charge of overall incident management, and in the time Mr Yandle has been in this role there have been many local incidents and tragedies – but a lot of positive moments he will cherish.
“Before Black Saturday in 2006, there were bushfires…and we protected a house there in Kinglake when the fire came through. The handshake and the hug from the resident there – that’s what it’s all about,” Paul said.
“They were just unbelievably ecstatic with the support from the brigade, and a few weeks later they named their brand new baby Emerald after our brigade.”
Alongside these rewarding moments has come traumatic experiences Mr Yandle said can stick with a volunteer for a long time.
“We could be sitting at home having dinner with the family or watching a movie and the pager goes off, and three or four minutes later, you’re presented with something that can be traumatic and life changing…”
“I’ve had times where you’re holding hands with someone who’s trapped in the car, I remember one young girl and I kept reassuring her as she’s just squeezing my hand that tight that my knuckles are going white – And just later on, they come back and just say ‘thank-you for that.”
He said his involvement with Emerald Fire Brigade would not have been possible without his wife Jody, who also has a history of volunteer firefighting and is affectionately referred to as the brigade’s “First Lady”.
“We both used to leave the dinner table and run out to fire calls.
“But the other work on top of that with nights on the computer, writing letters or emails … you just can’t do that role particularly for that amount of time, without that support,” he said.
Captain Klaus Brodeck has now taken over the position, and is ready to take on a new challenge after starting at the brigade in 2011.
“[I’ve] been a fairly committed member doing an average of over 50 calls per year since I’ve started,” Mr Brodeck said.
“Taking on board my leadership, managerial skills from my everyday work life and bringing that into the CFA has also helped.”
The Emerald Fire Brigade’s new management team includes 1st Lieutenant Kelly Harris, 2nd Lieutenant Ryan Lewis, 3rd Lieutenant Chris May, 4th Lieutenant Mick Hamilton and Communications Officer Mitch Fraser.
The biennial election was held in April and those appointed took office on 1 May.
