By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org

HOLDERNESS – One of the most wonderful things about New Hampshire, in addition to its physical beauty and variety, is its people, those who protect us from harm and save our lives on mountains, in water, and from fires, and those who honor that service.

And so it was a delight on Wednesday to see scores of residents of Holderness and surrounding communities come to the Holderness Fire Station to thank Fire Chief Eleanor Mardin for her 15 years as fire chief and to wish her and her wife, Dr. Linda Levy, the best as they roll into the next phase of their lives, most likely on motorcycles.

Mardin is the fourth generation in her family to be a firefighter and succeeded her father, Richard, who was the town’s fire chief for 18 years before her.

A decorated Navy hero who also has fought wildland fires throughout the United States, Mardin has had a very interesting career since signing up in 1988 to serve her community in times of need.

I asked Mardin about some of the highlights of her years of service, which go back to her days as a decorated Navy hero before she joined Holderness Fire Department.

“I helped deliver a baby!” Mardin said noting that the experience of helping to bring in new life to the world was when she was on the ambulance in Plymouth.

Another highlight of her career has been bringing along new firefighters and taking them to their first fire and watching them grow in the service to others.

Rescues on the water and in the woods have also been gratifying, she said.

“Here, we have had a lot of rescues. I have always enjoyed the hiking rescues,” Mardin said.

She first worked in neighboring Plymouth both on the ambulance and the firefighting crew before heading to Holderness. Before that, she worked for the state Division of Forest and Lands in its Wildland Division and was tapped to be on fire crews at major wildland fires in Arizona, New Mexico, California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Canada among other locations.

In Holderness, she has led firefighting efforts, worked on water and hiking rescues and has fixed broken equipment, and led training sessions.

The parking lot was full when I arrived at the end of a four-hour open house to offer my thanks and congratulations to her at the police and fire station. There were cookies and coffee and town residents were milling about the training room where Mardin and Levy were welcoming guests.

Although I do not live in Holderness and I don’t know Mardin personally, I have known of her service to the regional community where I have resided for more than 30 years. It seemed particularly important to recognize and say thank you to first responders and health-care workers after 18 months of this pandemic.

The fire service and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) work is something I greatly admire. I tried my hand in and around it first when I was in high school and got my EMT-A license. I spent time as a Concord Fire dispatcher and when at UNH, I volunteered for several years on the Durham-UNH Ambulance Corps and also volunteered as a ski patroller for a number of years at Pats Peak in Henniker.

I think I was drawn to EMS because I wanted a career that allowed me to help others in need, but then I found reporting was easier and seemed to satisfy my urge to be at the scene and to help by telling people what was going on, without having the emotional ups and downs that go with the job as a firefighter.

That role of fire chief will now go to Jeremey Bonan, who knows he will have some big boots to fill in the next year when the calls go out.

There are now about 20 firefighters on the roster and about 10 are regular responders. Like many towns with call departments, it is increasingly hard to find people who can leave their work to respond to emergencies, as they lose income in so doing.

There used to be about 30 firefighters Holderness could count on to respond when she began.
This will continue to be an issue for rural departments like Holderness who will need to contend with fewer call firefighters.

Losing people with so much institutional knowledge like Mardin is also hard for a small town, but it was with gratitude that the residents came in droves to wish her well.

Mardin said she hopes to travel and do some motorcycle riding with her wife, Linda. And they won’t be moving away.
“I like it here too much,” she said. “I like the winters and the summers,” she said. “My Mom and Dad are still here and we have lots of friends,” Mardin said.

This holiday season, take a moment to thank those who have been there in the pandemic for you and your community.
Thank them, like Chief Mardin, for their service because it is people like that who make life in this beautiful place so rich.

Paula Tracy’s first big hike was in 1975 with classmates from Concord up Mount Lafayette with  teacher and outdoor enthusiast Ned Bergman. She was 13 and was immediately captured by the wonders of New Hampshire’s great outdoors. It would lead to a lifetime love of exploring the woods, water, and wildlife in the Granite State. As a staff reporter, for 25 years at the NH Union Leader and then for WMUR.com, she has written about the subject extensively and continues here with the hope of connecting New Hampshire’s residents with their own backyard.