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The 1927 Essex Hose Carriage, a symbol of firefighting innovation, stands proudly as a reminder of NSW’s transformative shift from hand-drawn and horse-drawn carts to motorised fire appliances. Pictured outside the Fire Services Museum, c.1982 [Museum of Fire collection] Before the introduction of motorised fire appliances in the early twentieth century, fire brigades in New South Wales (NSW) relied on horse-drawn or even hand-drawn carts and reels to transport their equipmen

Early calls for the formation of a fire brigade within Merrylands were made to the Board of Fire Commissioners of NSW (BoFC) by the Prospect and Sherwood Council (now Cumberland City Council) in April 1922. Requests for a dedicated brigade would also be made by and maintained by the Loftus Park Progress Association in May 1923. The BoFC, in agreement with the concerns of the Council and the Progress Association, would acquire land on Merrylands Road in 1923, with the intentio

1935 Katoomba Demonstration pin, image courtesy of John Hand Demonstrations began in the last quarter of the 19th century. Originally they were known as ‘ Grand Colonial Demonstrations’ and it would be soon after that they would became known as State Demonstrations following Federation in 1901. Forbes, Armidale, Dubbo and others would host the last lot of State Demonstrations, with the final one being in Corowa in 1909 prior to the formation of the Board of Fire Commission

This week, to coincide with the annual celebration of International Women’s Day, the Museum is proud to officially open our latest exhibition which pays tribute to the role women have played within firefighting in NSW. This exhibition has been produced to celebrate the 40th anniversary of women being permitted to join the NSW Fire Brigade (NSWFB, today Fire and Rescue NSW, FRNSW) as firefighters. This is the first time that an exhibition has showcased this largely forgotten p

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

The Beginning of a Brigade in Corrimal Movement for the creation of a fire brigade at Corrimal began in 1924 with Divisional Inspector G. Grimmond visiting the area to discuss the region’s fire protection with the mayor. It was determined that a volunteer brigade would be established in the area, which at that time was known as North Illawarra, and was managed by North Illawarra Council. The Brigade was therefore to be known as the North Illawarra Brigade and would consist of

On 14 January 1975, in the heart of Sydney CBD, the former Angus and Robertson building on Castlereagh Street, opposite David Jones, was gutted by fire. Firefighters described it as the most difficult and hazardous commercial property fire they had fought in many years. The four-storey historic building had been occupied by various commercial businesses since Angus and Robertson vacated the premises in 1972. It contained a labyrinth of basement cellars and was crammed with so

150 years Ago - the year 1875 - at least 9 fire brigades were formed in NSW. Though not a

At 7:58am on Boxing Day 2004, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake occurred on the ocean floor 60 kilometres off the west coast of northern Sumatra in Indonesia. This earthquake caused a large volume of water to form gigantic waves that moved in all directions, initially at speeds of 700 km/h and reaching heights of 15 metres. What ultimately resulted in a tsunami, tragically claimed the lives of 230,000 people in a matter of hours, destroyed 141,000 homes and devastated the local fish

Establishing a Brigade in Dee Why The expansion of the Warringah Fire District in 1923 saw the suburb of Dee Why brought under the protection of the Fire Brigades Act. Recommendations were put forward for the establishment of a brigade with a strength of two permanent and six partially paid firefighters. This accounted for the number of surrounding fire stations that could provide aid during an incident, and the prevalence of weatherboard houses in the area. A site on Fish Ro