Daniel Poss rises to the challenge

Daniel Poss has dedicated more than two decades of his life to Fire and Rescue and now embarks on a new chapter as the Gunnedah brigade’s new deputy captain.

Dep Capt Poss was recently presented with his epaulettes by Gunnedah captain David Welch AFSM.

He was joined by his family for what was a memorable occasion at the local station.

“It brought tears to my eyes to see my family there,” Dep Capt Poss said of the presentation.

“Our children don’t know anything else other than Fire and Rescue.

“The support they’ve given me over the years is unbelievable.”

Dep Capt Poss first joined the service in Uralla almost 23 years ago and transferred to Gunnedah in 2012 when he moved to the area.

It was his uncle’s involvement in the Uralla brigade that partly sparked his interest in the service.

“As a young fella, Uralla was a tight knit community,” Dep Capt Poss said.

“My uncle was my main inspiration.

“I also always wanted to serve the community the best I could.”

Matt, Daniel, Jess and Kayla Poss at the recent deputy captain presentation at the Gunnedah Fire and Rescue station.

Dep Capt Poss was appointed to his new role following the retirement of long-serving local deputy captain Paul Hartley who had been involved in the service for 52 years.

He described Mr Hartley as a great inspiration.

Dep Capt Poss is excited to step up to the leadership position in a service that has given him so much.

“Gunnedah is a really good station,” he said.

“It’s such a great bunch of people.”

He acknowledged Fire and Rescue’s important role in the community, including assisting people in what can sometimes be a critical time of need.

Dep Capt Poss said one of his greatest enjoyments with the service was taking part in school visits and delivering fire education in the community.

Being on the frontline in a local emergency service can be challenging, including the types of incidents being responded to, but Dep Capt Poss praised Fire and Rescue for the support networks available.

“We’ve got that support there that we can lean on,” he said.

“We turn up and do the job the best that we can.

“We put all of our training to work.”

Dep Capt Poss has encouraged other community members to also consider becoming involved in local emergency services, including Fire and Rescue.