Blog

CEO Belinda McMartin, June 2025 It is that time of year again when we reflect on another successful year for the Museum of Fire’s online blog, which I’m incredibly pleased to announce has been read online by 28,000 people in the last twelve months alone! This year, the timing is somewhat ironic as I pay tribute to five years of the blog and five years in the role of CEO, because, at least for an extended period of time, this will be my last blog CEO blog as I embark on my nex

It was 30 years ago that the first K9 entered the services of the NSW Fire Brigade (NSWFB, today Fire and Rescue NSW). Known as Sabre , they made their debut at the Firefighter Championships held in Armidale on 16 September 1995. A pure-breed German Shepherd, Sabre joined the NSWFB aged just 7-months and began training as an accelerant’s detector dog with handler and Rescue/Bushfire Officer Graham McCarthy. Sabre was officially gifted to the NSWFB at the Graduation event held

The first 4.5 months of the year have been incredibly busy for the museum’s small team, but they’ve been incredibly rewarding as well. To celebrate International Museum’s Day and National Volunteer Week our CEO reflects on the year so far. Museums have a responsibility to not just the histories that they present,but to the wider community that supports their existence. Winning cool Aunty points because I know the PAW Patrol gang, FRNSW Open Day 2025 On Sunday, 18 May, Interna

Museum of Fire Senior Staff, 2024. Pictured left to right: Ella Murtagh, Kate Coleman, Belinda McMartin, Cameron Stafford and Ben Dickson As the CEO of the Museum of Fire I am incredibly proud of the quality of service our team is able to provide across all aspects of the business, especially when it comes to the presentation and preservation of history. From incredibly humble beginnings, back in 2020 when I became CEO, with just one staff member employed to oversee this vast

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

On Thursday 16 January 2025, we hosted the awards ceremony for our 2024 Art Competition. At the Museum of Fire, we feel it is essential to pay tribute to our firefighters each and every day. Without their heroic efforts, there would be no stories to share, nor any history to preserve. As the official heritage partner to Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) it is our responsibility to ensure that future generations understand the great depth of history within the organisation. The ye

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

As the year draws to a close, we always spend time reflecting on what stories and photographs were popular on our socials. Our team enjoy sharing historic incidents and anniversaries, just as much as we take pride in sharing the various updates we’ve made around the Museum and the various activities we’ve been taking part in. In what will be one of the last blogs for 2024 we’ve taken a look at the most popular images we’ve shared on Instagram. It is said that a picture speaks

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 today. The large grey building that we call home was once upon a time Penrith Power Station and has an intriguing history of its own, so let’s take a look at what is so special about our building! Firstly, lets step back in time and make it clear as to when the Museum of Fire got involved. We come into the picture in 1985, where after the buil

Belinda McMartin, Museum of Fire CEO (November 2024) The Constant Wheels of Change – Is That a Feasible Business Model for the Museum? Growth and development don’t happen overnight. Change takes time and adapting to this isn’t a quick task. Having said that, the global pandemic created the need for rapid adaptation and so between 2020-2022 the Museum was in a constant state of change, growth and development.   In 2023 the Museum switched our focus to consolidation, as we came