The brigade has former captains from Bungowannah, Kenthurst, Gosford, Hastings, Kellyville, Rooty Hill and five former captains from Bonny Hills.

Current member Ted McDonald held the captaincy from 2011 to 2012, senior deputy captain Nigel Sherrard held the role twice from 2015 to 2018 and again from 2010 to 2011.

Deputy captain Alan Rogers held the official captaincy at Bonny Hills from 2018 to 2019.

Each year volunteers vote to elect a captain at an annual general meeting and each volunteer has the opportunity to nominate themselves for the role 28 days before the event.

Brigade captain Glenn Dunn, who has held the role since 2019, said having a team of ex-captains was a wealth of knowledge.

"Having a number of ex-captains brings in a lot of firefighting experience for newer members. It helps the whole brigade because we have more instruction than just the training staff," he said.

"The captain's role is primarily an operations focus of making sure everyone is trained and have the correct personal protective equipment.

"I don't think it's the attraction (that brings them) to this station as ex-captains. I think it's just people moving to Bonny Hills from other areas and fitting in well with the volunteers we already have."

Brigade firefighter John Penberthy, who held the top job in 2009 and 2010, said he enjoys staying involved with the team as young members learn the ropes.

"The biggest reward for me is seeing young people being trained and brought up to standard. Seeing young people grow through the fire brigade is rewarding for me," he said.

"There is a lot more paperwork and hoops to jump through now since I was captain. When I was captain I had a full-time job and shift work, nowadays it is a lot more dedicated and has a lot more responsibilities."

Brigade firefighter Mike Chard, who held the captaincy from 2012 to 2015, said he relishes the opportunity to be an ex-captain on the frontlines of firefighting.

"Some of the ex-captains may not go to many fires anymore but their experience in large city fires is an advantage. These guys are used to running multi-agency fires in Sydney," he said.

"There are some ex-captains who bring their knowledge of electrical hazards, tool making and engineering from leading other units.

"For me, I get to go on the end of the hose rather than sitting on the phone to the higher ups. You join the brigade to be a firefighter and it's good fun to be involved in that."

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