Blog

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’re constantly reviewing our exhibits that haven’t been updated in years. This gives us the opportunity to...

Life Before the Brigade Born on the 12 August 1911, Vivian Lowther began his career in 1927 working as an apprentice with the NSW...

Out of the many displays at the Museum of Fire, one that often captures visitors’ attention is the large set of shelves filled with...

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...

Command vehicles, also known as Fire Control vehicles or Incident Command vehicles, serve a unique purpose within the fleet of...

The Museum of Fire is an iconic staple of the Penrith landscape and that is mostly due to the wonderful building that we are housed in...

History of Pulpit Point and the Mobil Oil Depot Pulpit Point, located in the suburb of Hunters Hill in Sydney, was the home of one of...