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This week we are looking back thirty years to the year 1996. As Australia looked towards a new century, life was beginning to feel increasingly modern, while many of the traditions and technologies of earlier decades remained familiar parts of everyday life. For the NSW Fire Brigades, 1996 was another busy year, shaped by the people, incidents and developments that form part of our firefighting history. As we look back three decades, we revisit some of the stories that made 1

For decades, bright red was synonymous with the fire brigade. From hose carts to motor engines, fire engines have carried the same red paint as they sped to incidents and the rescue of others. Interest in reducing the impact and severity of fire and emergencies through the decreased response times saw permanent change to the traditional livery that decorated fire engines for over a century. FirePacs in their new test livery outside City of Sydney Fire Station, 1996 [Museum of

Some restorations reveal more than a vehicle's mechanical history — they uncover a story that had been hidden for decades under layer after layer of paint. That is exactly what happened during the ongoing restoration of No. 010, the Museum of Fire's GMC CCKW-353 Water Tanker, when volunteers stripping the vehicle's bodywork found the truck's original wartime green paint sitting intact beneath its fire brigade red. A Wartime Workhorse The GMC CCKW — affectionately nicknamed th

The Leyland Crane with a Ford D400 at Five Dock Workshops, c.1970s [Museum of Fire Collection] This month marks ten years since the restoration of the Museum’s 1938 Leyland Crane. The Crane was purchased by the Museum of Fire in June 2010 and took just over six years to restore, with the Museum receiving a highly commended award at the National Trust Heritage Award. During the mid-1930s, recovering damaged or broken-down vehicles was a major logistical issue for fire brigades

At the Museum of Fire, visitors are often drawn to the fire engines themselves. From hand-drawn hose carts to large modern appliances, the collection spans more than a century of firefighting history. But behind every one of these vehicles is something rarely seen by the public. Before any engine is built, it begins as a drawing. Our latest exhibition, Illustrating Change: Designing Fire Engines for New Challenges , brings these hidden stories to life. Featuring a selection o

In commemoration of its 100 th birthday, the Museum of Fire is pleased to announce the 1926 ME 88 Garford Hale as the 2026 Vehicle of the Year. This small but mighty appliance served for over 40 years in a number of fire stations across regional New South Wales, an exemplar of early firefighting history in our state. Museum of Fire 2026 Vehicle of the Year the 1926 ME 88 Garford Hale fire engine, 2026 [Museum of Fire collection] The Garford Motor Truck Company and its Role i

Firefighter Robert Lightfoot standing behind the Turbine Engine, c.1923. [Museum of Fire Collection] Before flashing lights and roaring engines, the race to a fire sounded very different. Instead of sirens, there was the pounding of hooves on dirt or cobblestone. Instead of radios, there were shouted orders, leather reins, and the urgent clang of a station bell. Fires were not only dangerous; they were social events of urgency. Residents often followed the brigade, forming bu

Between 1950 and 1957, the renowned fire engine manufacturer Merryweather produced a variety of equipment including pumps, turntable ladders, and specialized tenders with 138 of these items being installed on AEC’s Regent III or Regal III bus chassis. These hybrid creations were assembled on a special production line at the Maudslay Motors factory (by then owned by AEC) and became iconic examples of post-war engineering ingenuity. AEC Merryweather turntable ladders at an unkn

Manual Fire Engines Today, fire engines are a sight to behold, their bright red colour, flashing lights, and loud sirens herald their arrival. Equipped with a variety of equipment, they are truly prepared for any emergency. However, if we take a step back in time to the origins of organised firefighting in Sydney, we find a vastly different scene. The early 19th century marked a major advancement in firefighting technology with the rise of the manual fire engine, an evolut

The Ahrens Fox Fire Engine Company The Ahrens Fox Fire Engine Company of Cincinnati, Ohio produced some of the most distinctive motorised fire engines of the 20th century with their prominent exposed pumps mounted with a large sphere in front of the radiator and bonnet. In 1870 the Ahrens Fox Company began making steam fire engines, but by the early 20th century they reaslied there was a market for producing motorised fire engines that could match the capability of the steam