Meet the team: Introducing Danny Tuelstrup, North Queensland Regional Manager
Danny is celebrating 21 years with Wormald. Since joining the business as a fire technician in June 1998, his combination of skills, experience, interest in learning, together with his knowledge of Queensland’s northern region, has paved the way for a long career in fire protection services.
How did you find yourself working for Wormald?
After finishing school in Townsville, I completed a trades course as an electrical and instrument fitter while working with Mount Isa Mines. Over a period of 9 years, I worked on everything in the mining environment, from underground high voltage substations, to power stations, smelters, furnaces, and concentrators.
I then moved to Mackay where I joined a small fire company that serviced a range of commercial and industrial clients, working across fire protection as well as security. This role was also very broad. It included electrical and sprinkler works, breathing apparatus, fire pumps and tanks, gas systems, foam systems, water mist systems, and vehicle systems.
When I noticed an advertisement for qualified fire technicians based in Mackay, I applied as I already had plenty of experience working in different environments and industry sectors. I started as a fire industry technician where I was responsible for design, installation, service and certification. Over time I progressed into supervisor and estimator roles, before becoming the Wormald North Queensland Regional Manager in 2016.
Tell us about your current role, what are your key responsibilities?
I manage the top third of Queensland which is a huge area and includes remote towns. My role includes managerial responsibilities, providing technical support and advice to Wormald’s technicians and supervisors, certifying and designing systems for clients, estimating, as well as managing human resources and customer service for the North Queensland region.
What do you enjoy about working with Wormald and the fire protection industry?
The fire industry is constantly changing which brings its own set of challenges, but I enjoy finding answers and solutions to help our customers. Wormald has an organisation-wide “can-do” culture that drives us to stay ahead and adapt to the changing market needs.
What trends or issues are you seeing in the fire industry today?
There is a growing need within our region (and the broader fire industry), for multi-skilled fire technicians that can “do it all in one trip”. Our workforce is multi-generational, with younger workers bringing a very different mindset about how they approach the job compared to our older technicians. My role is to ensure that our staff have the skillset and character required to support our customers.
Technology is also becoming more advanced and Wormald is constantly working to meet market demands and expectations. This includes more intuitive reporting so we know what is happening in real time, and allows us to be more responsive to the needs of customers so they can have greater visibility across all their fire protection systems and requirements.
What do you enjoy doing in your downtime when you’re not working?
I love participating in Spartan obstacle courses and have a particular passion for drag racing, which I enjoy doing with my kids – we travel to events all over the country. I get involved in everything, from building the car from pipes, sheets of aluminum and carbon fiber, to designing the engines and driving them!
