Blog

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

*This information is an extract from the colour-book produced by the Museum of Fire's Heritage Team to celebrate the history of Singleton 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 Singleton Volunteer Fire Brigade On Friday 16 April 1886, a public meeting was held at the Singleton Municipal Council Chambers to discuss taking

By the 1930s the automobile market witnessed a shift with ‘small’ trucks being desired and possessing more power. Dennis, a prominent vehicle manufacturer ran the risk of falling behinds its opposition until it developed a revolutionary chassis that was 2 tonne capacity and offered unusual features for the time such as a setback front axle and hydraulic brakes. Reports of the time touted this as a “funny looking truck” and as a “courageous disregard of recognised practices” b

The Museum of Fire is proud to have been shortlisted in the 2023 National Heritage Awards in the category of Conservation – Interiors and Objects for the restoration of the 1959 Commer Fire Engine. The project saw an original 1959 Commer C5FT fire engine restored by our hard-working team of volunteers to a state of completeness unseen since 1983. The Commer C5FT is one of four in existence in NSW and is the only known one to have been restored to this degree. The Commer has

This week’s blog marks two years since we made the decision to start producing a weekly blog and it is a decision that I am very glad we...