Blog

In the Museum’s collection is a wonderful historic fire engine, the 1923 Merryweather Turntable Ladders, which celebrates its 100th birthday this year. In honour of such it has been commemorated as the Museum of Fire’s vehicle of the year for 2023. Whilst a somewhat allusive fire engine in the historical record, the Merryweather has certainly got some stories to tell over its 100-year tenure. Early History of Merryweather and the Petrol Fire Engine Revolution The turntable la

Commer first began in south London around 1904 as Commercial Cars Ltd, manufacturing a variety of vehicles with a forward control aiming to implement better petrol-electric transmissions that relieved drivers of needing to master the art of the “crash gear box’. Commer would participate in the fire engine industry as early as 1910, teaming up with Henry Simonis and Co of Watford. Simonis was an established fire engineering company and provided the firefighting equipment and b

At the start of 2022 our team at the Museum of Fire selected “Floods” as the theme of that year’s art competition. In the previous two years the competition had paid tribute to the terrible bushfires of 2019-2020 and more recently the resilience the community showed during the COVID-19 pandemic. These topics all reflect how difficult the last three years have been and while the artworks created by the children could have reflected a very pessimistic or gloomy view of the worl

The “Blitz Truck" concept evolved in the mid-1930s from the desire of the British War Office to produce a standardised range of military vehicles for all British Commonwealth countries, except England itself, involved in war efforts. It was decided that these vehicles would be designed and built in Canada, due to the ready availability of materials, and expertise of American manufacturers. Both Ford and General Motors had plants in Canada at that time. Between 1939 and 1945 s

For Ask a Museum Day this year we wanted to introduce you to our heritage team! Are you curious to know what it is like to work in a museum? Our team have answered questions just like this to give you an insight into their work, as well as some fun questions like whether or not our museum is haunted… Keep reading to find out! Meet our Heritage Manager Natasha! What does your typical day look like?   My role is to oversee the heritage and curatorial collection team, as well

On Sunday 4th September 2022 the Museum hosted our 2022 Annual Keynote Presentation. Our guest speaker for 2022, returning by popular demand, was Station Officer Ian Grimwood from FRNSW Lismore. Everyone knows about the devastation that has faced the town of Lismore this year and Ian discussed how members of Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) have worked to keep their hands on the brigade’s history and make sure it isn’t lost. This is an extract from Ian's presentation: "The Februar

Have you noticed the banners hanging in the Museum, showing a fireman saving a young girl? This painting is called ‘Saved’ by Charles Vigor (1860-1930), a British Impressionist & Modern painter who painted this artwork in 1891-92. The painting depicts a firefighter in a British uniform topped with a brass helmet, carrying a young child out of a burning building. Little is known about who the subjects of the painting are and where this burning building was, however, it has bec

On Friday 3 June, the Museum of Fire held a formal opening of the Celebrating our Connections with Japan exhibition. The new exhibition highlights Penrith City Council’s enduring relationship with its two sister cities, Fujieda City and Hakusan City (formally Matto) in Japan, through the lens of firefighting history. Belinda McMartin, Museum of Fire CEO, opened the exhibition with a number of key representatives from Penrith City Council, Fire and Rescue NSW and the Japan Lo

This week, we’re taking a closer look at a fire station staple: the station siren. Promptly alerting firefighters to an incident can make all the difference in an emergency situation. Over the centuries, these methods have evolved from fire bells through to electrical station sirens, and from the modern pager to advanced radio systems, to call the brigade into action. Fire bells were an important piece of equipment for firefighting in the nineteenth century. Prior to the form

The following is an extract from the June 2011 edition of Fire News. The Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami ( 東北地方太平洋沖地震, Tōhoku-chihō Taiheiyō Oki Jishin ) began at 2:46pm Japan Standard Time on 11th March 2011. The epicentre of the earthquake was in the Pacific Ocean, 72km east of the Oshika Peninsula, and lasted approximately 6 minutes, resulting in a tsunami. The Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) unit of Fire and Rescue NSW travelled to Japan to provide rescue aid in the aftermat