Acting Fire Chief Mark Rogers to retire after 49 years

With nearly 50 years of firefighting behind him, acting Fire Chief Mark Rogers is preparing to respond to his last call.

Rogers, a third-generation Wareham firefighter, will retire from the department Sunday, June 7. Though he has moved up the ranks, tackled blazes and helped hundreds of community members, he would rather his retirement story be about others.

As the longest-tenured member of the department, Rogers said firefighters, office workers and everyone in between deserve more credit than he does. Those he works alongside are what he said he will miss most.

"It's all about them. It's not about me, I mean it's not my fire department, it's our fire department— it's Wareham's," he said.

Rogers began his career as a junior firefighter in 1977, with a goal to carry on the family legacy and rise above his uncle Frank Rogers' rank of Assistant Engineer/Deputy Chief. In November 2025 Rogers did that by becoming Acting Fire Chief.

His father, William Rogers, also was a captain in the department, his photos still on the walls of the Main Street station. 

"Wareham is the town I grew up in, this is the fire department I've dedicated my life to. My career — it's bigger than me. This is all family," he said.

The most memorable — or the "pinnacle" of his career, as he called it — came during the fire that partially destroyed St. Patrick's Church in 2018. The three-alarm blaze in the loft of the building occurred at 1 a.m. and could have been a total loss without the quick response of Rogers' team.

"There was fire in the window— heavy smoke coming out of the eaves on the second floor," he said.

With "intimate knowledge" of the church, Rogers and his crew knocked down the fire in under 10 minutes. He said church fires tend to be harder to tackle and was grateful to have a talented team behind him.

"That's the highlight of my career," he said.

As he begins to pack up his office, filled with pranks from firefighters over the years, Rogers said he's ready to hang up his hat and say goodbye. If he were to go back to the beginning of his career, he said he would offer himself three pieces of advice.

"Take care of yourself, always make sure you're washed up because of the carcinogens, and listen to what others tell you because they have miles of experience that they can give you," he said.

As his last day approaches, Rogers has vacation plans with his wife of 38 years, whom he wants to "give kudos" for "putting up" with him. Through countless missed family functions and late-night calls, he said he could not have done it without her.

Though he is retiring, he wants his legacy and teachings to staff to remain within the department. The Rogers name will continue, as his son, Jonathan Rogers, was elected to the Wareham Fire District Prudential Committee in April.

"I'm going to try to make sure the department has everything it needs to continue on," he said.