JOHNSTON COUNTY, N.C. — Chris Daniels, a career firefighter who served on three other departments, collapsed and died at the Pine Level Fire Department Monday.
“Every time you saw him, he had a smile on his face,” Kim Robertson, director of Johnston County Emergency Services, told the Johnston County Report. “He was one of the most pleasant people I’ve ever know. He was always willing to help out.”
Daniels, 40, was a career engineer and acting-captain on the Smithfield (N.C.) Fire Department and worked part time for Pine Level, Thanksgiving and Selma fire departments. He previously served three years as assistant chief in Selma.
The Four Oaks (N.C.) Fire Department sent an engine to Smithfield to help cover the area.
“He was a great firefighter,” Paul Whitehurst, assistant director of Johnston County Emergency Services, told the Johnston County Report. “He was a very dedicated individual. He served with a servant’s heart.” Whitehurst is also chief of the Kenly Fire Department.
Funeral arrangements are pending.