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On 25 April 1968, one of Sydney’s most unforgettable fires lit up Darlinghurst, capturing the attention of thousands of city residents and leaving a lasting mark on the city’s history. The fire destroyed Buckingham’s Department Store, an iconic building on the corner of Oxford and Riley Streets, which had been a familiar presence in Sydney since it was established at the start of the twentieth century by Ashley James Buckingham. The store had earned a loyal following among th

Fire and blast at Amusement Zone in Kogarah, 4 December 1995 [Museum of Fire Collection] On Monday, 4 December 1995, a quiet afternoon in Kogarah was shattered by a devastating gas explosion at a family amusement centre on Railway Street. What began as a report of a strong smell of gas quickly escalated into one of the most serious incidents the area had seen in decades. Firefighters from No. 021 Kogarah and No. 029 Rockdale were dispatched at 2:00pm, but before crews could f

What is Urban Search and Rescue? Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) is a multi-agency task force comprised of a variety of specialists from Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW; previously NSW Fire Brigades, NSWFB), NSW Police Force, NSW State Emergency Service (SES), NSW Ambulance, engineers from NSW Public Works, and several federal government departments. Usually consisting of 72 individuals, predominantly made up of FRNSW members, the task force is led by a senior FRNSW officer respons

At the Museum of Fire, we receive a diverse range of fascinating donations. These donations showcase not only the equipment used to fight fires, but also extend into objects related to charity work, competition and sporting events, and inspiring the next generation of firefighters. The objects on display for our latest iteration of our New and Noteworthy  exhibit have been donated to us over the past year and truly showcase the other aspects of being part of the fire service.

At the Museum of Fire, we’re constantly reviewing our exhibits that haven’t been updated in years. This gives us the opportunity to breathe new life into these topics and showcase more objects from our collection. Our latest exhibit, which we revamped earlier this month, delves into the history of the Commissioners and Chief Officers of Fire and Rescue NSW (formerly the NSW Fire Brigades and the Metropolitan Fire Brigade). We knew we had more stories and objects to share alon

Life Before the Brigade Born on the 12 August 1911, Vivian Lowther began his career in 1927 working as an apprentice with the NSW Government Railways as a fitter and turner. Once he had completed his apprenticeship in 1932, he began looking for work as a tradesman, however, due to the ongoing Depression he was unable to find work. During his job search he enquired about working in the NSW Fire Brigades (NSWFB) workshops, but while they didn’t have any positions going, they di

Out of the many displays at the Museum of Fire, one that often captures visitors’ attention is the large set of shelves filled with hundreds, if not thousands, of identical books. These aren’t just any old books, and their uniform size and shape hint at a shared purpose. And indeed, they do share something very special: they are occurrence books . Members of the Museum of Fire install the occurrence book display at the Museum in the 1990s [Museum of Fire Collection] Occurrenc

Dr Kristine Klugman, Deputy President of the Board of Fire Commissioners of NSW, 1984 [Museum of Fire Collection] When Dr Kristine Klugman was appointed Deputy President of the Board of Fire Commissioners of NSW in 1982, she became the first woman to take on a senior leadership role in the then 98-year-old organisation. Her appointment not only made history—it also set in motion a chain of reforms that would ultimately lead to the inclusion of women in active firefighting rol

Helmets have always been an ideal form of protection used across many different industries from war to construction, and most importantly to us, for firefighting. Helmets that were designed for the purposes of firefighting appear to have become a common aspect of uniform from the 1820s. During this time, two distinct approaches took place with helmets, the first being the American style and the second being the European or UK style. The stereotypical firefighter helmet design

Command vehicles, also known as Fire Control vehicles or Incident Command vehicles, serve a unique purpose within the fleet of firefighting appliances. Command vehicles have not always been a staple however, as the concept was only truly introduced 1972 as the NSW Fire Brigades (NSWFB; now Fire and Rescue NSW, FRNSW) began exploring the opportunities and possibilities of what a Command vehicle might look like. Originally the concept envisioned by the brigade involved the usag