BENJAMIN Franklin might not have been thinking of Country Fire Authority personnel when he wrote “to the generous mind the heaviest debt is that of gratitude, when it is not in our power to repay it”.But few of us could quite so concisely express our thanks to the men and women who put their lives on hold from February 7.Black Saturday may have brought tragedy and sadness, but it also brought out the essence of humanity, the goodness of people from all walks of life who rallied to help the victims.And at the forefront were the CFA volunteers.It was not only those at the firefront, but the countless others who fought with their pens in incident control centres, staffed stations across the region and waited on standby should the need for their assistance arise.Crews such as the Woodvale volunteer brigade, which attended the Bendigo station while its people and resources were at the firefront.Maldon strike teams were on standby, ready to go, and the East Loddon, Dingee and Tandara volunteers were called in during the following days to help with the mop-up.“They’ve all done a sensational job,” CFA operations manager John Deering said.“They were equally important and the public might not have seen the role they played, but they have our heartfelt gratitude.”For Strathfieldsaye volunteer Michael Rogers, fighting the fire with his pen and whiteboard was an emotional and unsettling experience.Mr Rogers assisted at the Bracewell Street incident management centre at the CFA headquarters in Adam Street.He had spent 35 years fighting fires and this was his first experience behind the desk during a major inferno.It made him question his future in such a capacity and consider a return to the firefront.“It was frustrating knowing the job you’re doing is important but not seeing the benefits straight away,” he said.“When you’re on the truck, you put the water on the fire and it goes out - when you’re in here you don’t see any benefit until it’s all over.“We could see the smoke and know where a house was burning. It was very emotional and traumatic.“Even though you know the work you’re doing is critical, it’s a strange feeling.”However, the CFA wants people such as Mr Rogers to know their efforts were just as important in saving lives and property as the battle on the firefront.