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Ideas for the establishment of a brigade in the Ulladulla area were first proposed in July 1969. This was intended to provide fire protection not only to Ulladulla, but also to Milton and Mollymook. Action was promptly undertaken to acquire a suitable site for the construction of a fire station. Lot 14 Nurrawalle Street was determined to be the most suitable of the suggested sites owing to its relatively level land and its position within the proposed fire district. With land

Fifty years ago, 1975, was an incredibly busy year for the NSW Fire Brigades (NSWFB; today Fire and Rescue NSW, FRNSW) with technological changes in firefighting equipment and one of the largest ever building programs underway in the history of the NSWFB.   In June 1975 the Board of Fire Commissioners of NSW (the governing body of the NSWFB) five-year term of service (1970-1975), as outlined by the Fire Brigades Act , was terminated and a new board was constituted, meeting fo

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

Early calls for the formation of a fire brigade within Merrylands were made to the Board of Fire Commissioners of NSW (BoFC) by the Prospect and Sherwood Council (now Cumberland City Council) in April 1922. Requests for a dedicated brigade would also be made by and maintained by the Loftus Park Progress Association in May 1923. The BoFC, in agreement with the concerns of the Council and the Progress Association, would acquire land on Merrylands Road in 1923, with the intentio

Helmets have always been an ideal form of protection used across many different industries from war to construction, and most importantly to us, for firefighting. Helmets that were designed for the purposes of firefighting appear to have become a common aspect of uniform from the 1820s. During this time, two distinct approaches took place with helmets, the first being the American style and the second being the European or UK style. The stereotypical firefighter helmet design

On 14 January 1975, in the heart of Sydney CBD, the former Angus and Robertson building on Castlereagh Street, opposite David Jones, was gutted by fire. Firefighters described it as the most difficult and hazardous commercial property fire they had fought in many years. The four-storey historic building had been occupied by various commercial businesses since Angus and Robertson vacated the premises in 1972. It contained a labyrinth of basement cellars and was crammed with so

At 7:58am on Boxing Day 2004, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake occurred on the ocean floor 60 kilometres off the west coast of northern Sumatra in Indonesia. This earthquake caused a large volume of water to form gigantic waves that moved in all directions, initially at speeds of 700 km/h and reaching heights of 15 metres. What ultimately resulted in a tsunami, tragically claimed the lives of 230,000 people in a matter of hours, destroyed 141,000 homes and devastated the local fish

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

Establishing a Brigade in Dee Why The expansion of the Warringah Fire District in 1923 saw the suburb of Dee Why brought under the protection of the Fire Brigades Act. Recommendations were put forward for the establishment of a brigade with a strength of two permanent and six partially paid firefighters. This accounted for the number of surrounding fire stations that could provide aid during an incident, and the prevalence of weatherboard houses in the area. A site on Fish Ro

Establishment of a Fire Brigade in Coraki  Established in 1849 before becoming a bustling riverside port in the 1880s, Coraki looked to establish their own fire brigade under the Fire Brigades Act at the start of the twentieth century. The town was then successful in achieving incorporation under the Fire Brigades Act in the year 1912.  Unfortunately, due to miscommunication between the Coraki Council and the Board of Fire Commissioners of NSW (BoFC) the Council missed out on