Blog

At the Museum of Fire, we’re constantly reviewing our exhibits that haven’t been updated in years. This gives us the opportunity to breathe new life into these topics and showcase more objects from our collection. Our latest exhibit, which we revamped earlier this month, delves into the history of the Commissioners and Chief Officers of Fire and Rescue NSW (formerly the NSW Fire Brigades and the Metropolitan Fire Brigade). We knew we had more stories and objects to share alon

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