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50 years ago today, on 11 October 1972, a blaze broke out in the Woolworths Family Shopping Centre in Liverpool. The structure was relatively new, being only 6 years old and consisted of 3 levels and a basement carpark. It is believed that the fire started at around 5:15pm, where luckily enough there were minimal shoppers inside the building and as a result, the evacuation process was speedy, only taking 10 minutes to complete. The call to attend the fire was sent through f

USAR is the Urban Search and Rescue task force, consisting of a variety of specialists in a multi-agency approach which combines the expertise and the personnel of Fire and Rescue NSW, NSW Police, NSW SES, NSW Ambulance, Engineers from NSW Public Works, AusAid and Emergency Management Australia. Consisting of 72 individuals, predominantly made up of FRNSW members, the task force is led by a senior officer responsible for all facets of the task force’s operations. From there i

This information is an extract from the colour-book produced by the Museum of Fire's Heritage Team to commemorate the centenary of Cooma Fire Station. Should you wish to use any of the information and pictures provided we ask that you please reference the Museum correctly and contact the Museum for permission where applicable. The Formation of Cooma Fire Brigade (1917-1918) On 3 September 1917 it was reported that Cooma Council was to approach the Board of Fire Commissioners

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

Beginnings Turning back the clock, we begin in the 19th century with William Hamilton Brown born in Darlinghurst in 1897. Living most of his life in Wentworthville, which at this point in time, considered the westernmost fringe of the Sydney area. In 1914, Brown joined the 10th Australian Service Corps (ASC), which was a militia unit. Shortly after in 1916 at the bright young age of 18 and 2 months, Brown enlisted into the Australian Imperial Forces (AIF) as a part of the A

*This information is an extract from the colour-book produced by the Museum of Fire's Heritage Team to commemorate the opening of South Tamworth Fire Station at a ceremony held on Wednesday 19 August 2020. Should you wish to use any of the information and pictures provided we ask that you please reference the Museum correctly and contact the Museum for permission where applicable. The Establishment of a Fire Brigade in Tamworth (1878-1899) Tamworth was incorporated as a Muni

It is that time of year when we begin looking to the next year to plan our events and activities. It may seem early to be looking towards 2023 but in order for the Museum to undertake any exhibition upgrades (potentially apply for grant funding for those upgrades) and prepare a schedule of events for the year we need to start looking at the calendar now. Over the course of August and into September our team will finalise almost all of our events and the projects on the agenda

Frank Jackson’s early life: Frank Jackson was born in 1864 in England, roughly two hours outside of London. Jackson had an adventurous spirit, one that could not be tamed, and at the age of 11 he left home to make his way to Liverpool where he found employment as a ship’s boy. This escapade, however, was short lived and six months later Jackson returned home. Nevertheless, the sea still called to him, and it wasn’t long before he attempted the sea fairing life again- this t

The name Rolls-Royce tends to conjure up images of prestige and luxury and has certainly been synonymous with these terms since the turn of the twentieth century. Rolls-Royce: A Brief History With humble beginnings in 1884 as an electrical and mechanical business established by Henry Royce, its successful dive into the London car market came about in 1904 when Royce met with Charles Rolls – a London quality car dealer. Such a fortuitous encounter evolved into an agreement bet

*This information is an extract from the colour-book produced by the Museum of Fire's Heritage Team to commemorate the centenary of Casino Fire Station at a ceremony held on Saturday 6th April 2019. Should you wish to use any of the information and pictures provided we ask that you please reference the Museum correctly and contact the Museum for permission where applicable. The Formation of the Casino Fire Brigade In mid-August 1883 it was reported that a fire brigade had bee