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*This information is an extract from the colour-book produced by the Museum of Fire's Heritage Team to celebrate the opening of the brand new Busby 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. Establishing a Brigade in Busby (Green Valley) In 1960 the NSW Fire Brigades (NSWFB) began investigating opportunities for new fire stations

A fire brigade was first established in Coledale in January 1930, with the first station premises being a garage-type building consisting of a single room and made of weatherboard, concrete floors and an iron roof. The Board of Fire Commissioners of NSW leased this building from Mr. E. Meades for an original tenancy of five years, although this would remain the brigade’s home for over 26 years. Initially, five volunteers called this rented premises home and were equipped with

*DISCLAIMER - The following incident contains the mention of deceased persons and showcases photographs from the horrific incident of the collapsed structure, reader discretion is advised. On the evening of Saturday 9 June 1979, a disastrous fire occurred at Luna Park, which tragically took the lives of seven people. At 10:14pm Headquarters Control received the first call to a fire burning in the Ghost Train ride at Luna Park. Crews from Crows Nest and Neutral Bay were first

The development of the hydraulic platform: the Snorkel The hydraulic powered ‘elevating work platform’ (EWP) was first developed in the...

To understand who the Director-General is, it is worthwhile taking a trip back in time to see how the NSW Fire Brigades (NSWFB; now Fire and Rescue NSW, FRNSW) operated in the past. In 1884 the Fire Brigades Act was first inaugurated which saw the volunteer and insurance brigades, which had provided fire protection across metropolitan Sydney, join under a new singular entity. This new entity was to be administered and managed by a Fire Brigades Board which was made up of six

This year marks 140 years of continual service to the community by Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW). In highlighting this milestone, let’s go back in time to one of its first leaders. In 1884 FRNSW was known as the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) and whilst it was governed by a board, the chief firefighter in charge was known as the Superintendent and the first Superintendent was William Bear (1884-1898). Let’s take a look back at his history and his pivotal leadership which has s

*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 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

On the 20 November 1973 at 3:42pm, control received the call to a fire which had engulfed the multistorey Woolworths located at Warringah Mall in Brookvale in Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Dee Why was the first to respond on site with Manly’s motor and ladder unit closely following by and arriving as the second on scene. The severity of the blaze was not to be underestimated and the building was tremendously consumed by the fire with the unfortunate situation of two women trappe