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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 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

This year for 2024 our Vehicle of the Year is the 1984 Centenary Vehicle, an International 1810C pumper more colloquially and favourably known as the ‘White Knight’. As the name suggests this fire engine was originally commissioned and installed in 1984 to celebrate the centenary of the Fire Brigade (known as the New South Wales Fire Brigade, NSWFB, now better known as Fire and Rescue NSW, FRNSW). This pumper stood out for one major reason, that being its colour! The White Kn

As we reflect on the last twelve months and all that we’ve achieved at the Museum we thought we’d take one last walk down memory lane for 2023 and throw it back ten years to 2013. In 2013 four Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) fire brigades saw the completion of building works and the commencement of operations out of new stations. These were: Jerilderie (officially opened 5 November, the brigade dates back to 1898) Coolamon (officially opened 6 November, the brigade dates back to

An Update From Our CEO, Belinda McMartin The Museum of Fire is located in a heritage listed building. Our site was a former power station that was built to alleviate major power shortages to Sydney after World War Two. The building holds a unique place within the history of the development of the local area as well as in industrial (specifically power station) history across NSW due to the unique design and “packaged” nature of the plant. At the time of its construction thre

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

An early history of firefighting ladders In the early days of firefighting, appliances were often too small to carry a ladder or have...

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

Updated 18 June 2024 to celebrate it's 30th birthday. In 2024 the No. 322 Austral Denning ASV Firepac, now on display in the museum, will...

This week, in the year of its golden jubilee, we shine a spotlight on our 1971 Dennis D600 (“Mk 2”) Pumper. This specific appliance has...