Glass ceilings were smashed and history was made when Griffith Fire and Rescue NSW appointed their first female deputy captain.
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Danielle McKay is the only woman in the station, but from the day she joined she's fit in seamlessly with the rest of the boys.
Since then she's more than proven her chops, throwing herself with gusto into her firefighting duties.
"I love it. Ask any firefighter and they'll tell you the same thing: we do it because we love it," Miss McKay said.
"The comradery with the rest of the crew, the variety of jobs you get to do, helping out your community - it's all great."
It has its rough points too: Station 311 is the busiest station in the zone, being called out to over 500 jobs in an average year.
However Miss McKay insists the midnight calls, the gruelling shifts, and the long hours are all worth it for the feeling she gets when serving her community.
Community service must run through the family bloodline; both of her parents volunteered for the State Emergency Services in Holbrook and her brother volunteers for the Rural Fire Service.
She's continued on that legacy through her work at Station 311, where she now serves as both the deputy captain and the current acting captain.
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One of her favourite parts of being a firefighter are the open days, when children come and marvel at the shiny equipment and dream of one day putting on that firefighter uniform.
These days more and more of those children are girls, and Miss McKay is hoping that some of them will be inspired into becoming firefighters themselves when they grow up.
"I'm hoping seeing more female firefighters will break down barriers and stop people from thinking it's not a female role," Miss McKay said.
"I want them to know that they can do it too, and that we're just as good as the boys."
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Kenji Sato
Kenji Sato is a handsome journalist at The Daily Advertiser who enjoys writing flattering bios about himself in the third person. He can be contacted by email at kenji.sato@dailyadvertiser.com.au or by mobile on 0448 927 612.
Kenji Sato is a handsome journalist at The Daily Advertiser who enjoys writing flattering bios about himself in the third person. He can be contacted by email at kenji.sato@dailyadvertiser.com.au or by mobile on 0448 927 612.
