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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 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

The Olympics has everyone excited, and we were very enthusiastic to share this story that was recently brought to our attention. The Museum is often approached to undertake research to verify tid bits of history and while many times the story being fact checked turns out to not be true, with the Olympic spirit raging through our offices we were asked to confirm if a local Orange Firefighter was indeed the first NSW Firefighter to attend the Olympics AND take home a gold medal

As has become customary on the anniversary of our blog first being published, we take this opportunity to look back at the last twelve months and share the 10 most popular blogs. As we count down to the most popular blog of the year it is very evident to see from all popular blogs just how important remembering the past is. This is especially true when it comes to major disasters which impact entire communities. This is represented in the most read blogs. The Museum’s weekly

*This information is an extract from the colour-book produced by the Museum of Fire's Heritage Team to celebrate the centenary of Tumut 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. Establishment of a Fire Brigade in Tumut Discussions for the establishment of a fire brigade in Tumut occurred after a premises owned by Mrs T. Downing

*This information is an extract from the colour-book produced by the Museum of Fire's Heritage Team to celebrate the history of Warrawong Fire Brigade. 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 Establishment of a Fire Brigade in Port Kembla/Warrawong The present-day area of Port Kembla and Warrawong historically remained largely un-develo

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

*This information is an extract from the colour-book produced by the Museum of Fire's Heritage Team to celebrate the brand new station opening for Muswellbrook in 2023. The following is dedicated to the station's continuing history celebrating now at the time of writing in 2023, 129 years of history. 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.

*This information is an extract from the colour-book produced by the Museum of Fire's Heritage Team to celebrate the brand new station opening for Murrurundi in 2018. The following is dedicated to the station's continuing history celebrating now at the time of writing in 2023, 86 years of history. 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

When it comes to operating a museum about firefighting, it may seem ironic that one of the greatest threats to a museum, is fire, or it may be the perfect opportunity to practice what we preach when it comes to fire safety. You may have noticed a few planned and sudden un-planned closures for the Museum this year and at the heart of all these closures has been our desire to ensure the Museum is protected when it comes to fire safety and the integrity of the building. Five ye