Captain Craig Posey joins the Barstow Fire Department family.
Chief Nick DiNapoli welcomed Captain Craig Posey to the Barstow Fire Department family.
“Craig is excited to embark on the next chapter of his career as a captain with Barstow Fire," DiNapoli said.
Posey started serving as captain in September.
Posey, 55, began his firefighting career in 1986, as a volunteer with the Yermo/Calico Fire Department. In 1988, Posey earned his EMT license and attended trade school to become a certified mechanic for the now-shuttered Yellow Freight. He worked there from 1989 to 1997.
In 1992, he enrolled at Victor Valley College’s Fire Academy while working as an EMT for Desert Ambulance.
Posey then worked as an engineer and water tender driver for the Bureau of Land Management until 1998 when he began working as a machinist for Burlington, Northern & Santa Fe.
In 2000, Posey began a paid career as a firefighter with Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow (MCLB).
He steadily climbed the ranks, becoming a fire captain in 2007, a station captain in 2014, and an assistant chief in 2019.
An act of kindness
Marine Corps officials shared how Posey and his fire team "displayed kindness" to a woman and her three small children from Missouri, who were stranded off Interstate 40 near the base in November 2017.
Base officials offered food and financial help to the family who was tired, thirsty, hungry, and out of gas and money.
“Someone also called the MCLB Fire Department and Capt. Craig Posey and his engine crew helped fuel up her vehicle and then donated some money themselves. They also let the children play on the fire engine to take their minds off their situation,” MCLB officer Leopoldo said.
NASCAR Fire Rescue team
Alongside his firefighting career, Craig also worked as a mechanic for Pete's Road Service from 2004 to 2019 and joined the NASCAR Fire Rescue team in 2015.
In 2022, Craig earned his bachelor's degree in fire administration from Columbia Southern University. The following year, he took on the role of part-time instructor in the EMS program at Victor Valley College.
Posey and his wife, Elissa, have six children together: Lina (35), Isaiah (24), Ella (22), Abi (20), Sophia (18), and Jack (11).
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Captain Craig Posey joins the Barstow Fire Department family.
