Station Focus: 302 Glen Innes Fire Brigade 1886 - 2016

The Glen Innes Volunteer Fire Brigade

In 1872, when Glen Innes was proclaimed a municipality, it was recognised that a fire brigade was needed. During a meeting of the Glen Innes Fire Brigade Board on 24 November 1886, it was approved, and subsequently agreed upon that John Sully be appointed Captain of the Brigade. Over the coming years, funds were raised for a manual pumper, and in February 1888, it was decided that one would be ordered. The appliance cost £250 (approximately $37,000 today) and Captain Sully reported to the Board in October 1888 that the appliance had been constructed to the agreed specifications, and it was recommended that the stable at the Town Hall be converted into a shed to house the appliance. The uniforms for the men were provided by M.Flanders, the local tailor.

Glen Innes Volunteer Brigade at the Town Hall, 1888. [Museum of Fire Collection]

The First Station

In 1901, the Glen Innes Fire Brigade Board decided to erect a small building in South Park to house the Brigade’s appliance and to serve as the Fire Brigade’s headquarters. The land was owned by the council, and no rental fee was charged for the Brigade’s occupation of the land. The building was completed in 1902 for a cost of £102 (approximately $13,760 today) and was made of iron and wood. This building would house the Glen Innes Fire Brigade for over a decade.

Glen Innes Volunteer Fire Brigade with their new Station on Council Parkland, 1904. [Museum of Fire Collection]

In January 1910, the Glen Innes Volunteer Brigade operations came under the control of the Board of Fire Commissioners. Not everyone was happy with this, however, with a number of the older volunteers leaving the Brigade before March as they did not like ‘being ordered around’; though those that remained welcomed the new discipline. The brigade did air some concerns in late 1910 with the Board as to the conditions experienced by them, with the main concerns being the lack of amenities at the station, the need to pull the heavy manual appliance themselves, and that the pay they received as volunteers was less than that received by the Armidale Brigade. While the inspecting commissioner found that these concerns were unfounded (a toilet was available in the nearby hotel and the Board saved £12 a year in not having to pay to keep a horse (approximately $1,500 today), the Board did decide to increase payment to Glen Innes volunteers, and they approved the supply of a horse-drawn turbine engine when one became available.

In 1911, the council complained to the Board of Fire Commissioners that it was dissatisfied with the fire service as it was unable to provide adequate protection to the area as Glen Innes did not have a reticulated water supply. Water was fed along the main thoroughfare of the town by a 51cm diameter pipe with water taken from a number of above ground tanks installed in the Town Hall yard. The pipe had outlets into horse troughs. Due to this, the council was not willing to fund the acquisition of a new appliance. The council was also unhappy that the Board of Fire Commissioners wished to build a new station. The council believed the water situation needed to be addressed first however, the Board reminded the council that they had no role in the establishment of a reticulated water system. Over the coming years, the local Brigade had to source water where they could during fires, with wells a popular choice above pipes, as they provided a static water supply.

The Second Station

In June 1914, the Board of Fire Commissioners replaced the old manual appliance with a turbine pump. The following year, on 28 January 1915, the Board bought land at the corner of Bourke and Church Streets for £250 (approximately $24,000 today) and in June Mr E. Thorne was granted the tender to build a Fire Station for the cost of £670 (approximately $64,500 today). The building was brick and was created with a Federation Free Classical Style front façade, in an asymmetrical design with an iron roof. Once the Brigade moved into their new building, the council took possession of the original building, purchasing it from the Board of Fire Commissioners for £10 (approximately $960 today). The building was then converted into a band room for the local Glen Innes band.

Whilst construction of the station was taking place, amid reports of failing management and a lack of care for the Brigade appliances, the Brigade was re-organised by the Board of Fire Commissioners in January 1916.17 As a result, Captain A. Stacey was appointed to lead the re-structured Brigade with his term as Captain commencing upon the official opening of the new Station on 31 March 1916.

Glen Innes Fire Brigade in front of their second station. [Museum of Fire Collection]

Historic Fleet List

Year	Vehicle Type	Model, Make	Number
1890	Hand Pumper	-
1902	Hose Reel	Local Manufacture	63
1914	Horse Drawn Pumper	NSWFB	81
1924	Pumper	Garford Type 15	145
1936	Pumper	Dennis 250	220
1949	Pumper	Dennis 250	226
1953	Pumper	Dennis Ace	238
1962	Pumper	Bedford J1	70
1968	Pumper	Ford D200	349
1977	Pumper	International 1710B	530
1985	Pumper	International 1810C	286
1989	Composite Tanker	Isuzu FRS 4x4	766
1993	Pumper	Isuzu FTR800	893
2003	Hazmat Tanker	Isuzu FTS700 4x4	802
2005	Pumper	Isuzu FTR900	569
2011	Tanker	Isuzu FTS750 4X4	119

Want to learn more about the history of Glen Innes Fire Brigade? You can purchase a copy of the Glen Innes station book either in-store or online by visiting www.museumoffire.net/product-page/station-books

- Story by Museum of Fire Heritage Team