11/06/2026
The Darlington Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade is immensely proud to recognise stalwart member Colin James AFSM, for receiving the Australian Fire Service Medal as part of the 2026 King's Birthday Hounours. The award is the highest national honor recognizing distinguished service by both paid and volunteer members of Australian fire services.
Colin joined the Darlington Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade in February 1980, having moved into Darlington in mid-1979, and it didn’t take long for him to make his mark. He became a Lieutenant in 1981, and in 1984 he became the Captain (now the 1st Lieutenant), remaining in that role for 4 years. In 1988 Colin was elected Fire Control Officer (now the Captain) and led the Brigade until 1992.
During those years he wrote countless burn permits, and helped the Brigade carry out more than 100 hazard reduction burns a year. In 1992 Colin returned to the ranks of fire fighter.
Long before Incident Control Vehicles became commonplace, the Swan Region Bush Fire Service communications bus was operated out of Darlington Fire Station from 1995. Colin was a key member of that group, consisting mainly of senior Brigade members. After 3 years, by 1998, most Shires had their own ICVs and there was no need for the bus. But, as the Bush Fire Service had now commenced aerial fire surveillance, Darlington became the host Brigade for this group of volunteers. Operations were set up in the Station, and Colin was appointed as an Air Intelligence Officer on the fire ground, reporting visual details to Incident Control. Although Air Operations is now under DFES control, and operated by FRS personnel, Colin still maintains a role as an Air Base Manager. It is this role that saw him deploy to New South Wales for 2 weeks in 2019, to assist at the Black Summer bushfires, managing up to 20 fire fighting aircraft.
In 1999, the State Government introduced the Community Fireguard programme, and Darlington was the first group to be formed with Colin stepping forward as its coordinator. More than 25 years later he continues to be involved with Darlington's Bushfire Ready Group.
Additionally, with the introduction of the helicopter water bombers into the aerial fleet in 2003, the Darlington Brigade was issued a collar tank unit. Since its arrival, Colin has been a member of that group, and continues to be so. Then, with the formation of the Darlington Volunteer Fire Support Team within the Brigade in 2014, Colin was appointed its Lieutenant. He remained in that position for 10 years, and is still an active member of the Support team.
Outside of the Brigade, Colin spent 16 years as a Councillor with the Shire of Mundaring, including being the Chair of the Bush Fire Advisory Committee for a number of years. And he was a member of the FESA Advisory Board, as the WA Local Government Association representative.
Colin lists his greatest achievement as, whilst Chair of the Shire of Mundaring Emergency Advisory board, getting the Mundaring SES, Mundaring VFRS and Darling Range VBFB groups to agree to, and build, the Mundaring Emergency Services Centre for them to all operate out of together. This he believes was a great success. Beyond that, he is incredibly proud of being a member of the Darlington Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade, and seeing the professional manner in which it operates, and how it provides such a significant contribution to the Shire of Mundaring and DFES as a regional resource.
Congratulations Colin on more than 46 years volunteer service, and your well deserved recognition.
Shire of Mundaring
Department of Fire and Emergency Services WA
Parks and Wildlife Service, Western Australia
Bushfire Volunteers WA
Western Australia Bush Fire Service
Echo Newspaper
