Station Focus: No. 266 Cootamundra Fire Brigade 1892–2025

Cootamundra’s First Attempts to Establish

Interest in forming a fire brigade in Cootamundra began in early 1882, after a fire broke out in the milliner’s shop in February of that year. A kerosene lamp had been left unattended, and the fire spread to some of the dresses hanging above the counter, engulfing the shop in seconds. The residence of Cootamundra quickly got to work forming a bucket brigade, passing buckets between the shop and a nearby well. They were successfully able to extinguish the fire before it spread, however, with the frequency at which fires were occurring in town, the need to form a fire brigade was pressing. A few months after the fire, a meeting was held on 1 June 1882 in the Assembly Hall to form a fire brigade, however, the locals had little knowledge about the process required. To help them, Mr. McIntyer from Temora Fire Brigade attended the meeting, along with members of other nearby brigades, to impart their knowledge and advice. Mr. McIntyer also discussed the demonstrations in Victoria that the Temora Fire Brigade attended, with a great number of people being interested in this prospect. Approximately 30 people enrolled as members of the Cootamundra Fire Brigade after this, with the election of officers taking place the following night. Unfortunately, once the election of officers took place, no further steps were taken to establish an active brigade. This was possibly due to the lack of a reticulated water supply in Cootamundra during this period.

Interest was piqued again several years later in September 1888 after a disastrous fire occurred in a furniture warehouse. A public meeting was then held on 17 September with the purpose of forming an active brigade. Cootamundra still did not have a reticulated water supply at this time, so concerns were raised for the difficulty of operating a brigade without access to water. The community did agree that they should still take the necessary steps to form a brigade. A month later though, this decision would be revoked, as upon further reflection, the town came around to the idea that a brigade wouldn’t be able to adequately serve the community without a proper water supply.

Cootamundra Fire Brigade with their horse-drawn appliance c.1915 [Museum of Fire Collection]

The Establishment of Cootamundra Volunteer Fire Brigade

In August 1892, Cootamundra finally received a reticulated water supply, prompting calls to form a fire brigade once more. After several discussions, it was decided that the brigade would have a working number of 18 members, with an unlimited number of reserve members. In terms of a station for this newly formed fire brigade, a shed located behind the town hall was provided by the council. This would remain the home of the brigade until a new station was constructed in 1896 funded in part by government grants, donations from fire insurance companies and public subscriptions.  Construction of the new station, however,  was reported to have depleted much of the brigade’s funds, and the brigade once again had to canvas for more public subscriptions to financially support the fire protection of the town.

The continued operation of the brigade in this early period of its history was deeply affected by a lack of available funding. Refusal by insurance companies to provide funding until the local council did likewise meant the brigade had no choice but to disband in November 1908. The lack of sufficient fire protection in the area resulted in the threat of rising insurance premiums in 1909, with attention once again turned to restructuring the brigade. In May 1909, after five months of disbandment, a public meeting was held to discuss the reorganisation of the brigade. Thankfully, a financial agreement was reached between the government, local council and insurance companies to provide funding for the revitalised brigade, and on the 15 May 1909, 18 firefighters were enrolled to re-form the Cootamundra Fire Brigade, under the captaincy of H. Richardson.

Cootamundra Fire Station, 14 Adams Street, c. 1914 [Museum of Fire Collection]

The Fire Brigades Act is Applied to Cootamundra

The amendment of the Fire Brigades Act in 1909 saw many brigades in regional areas brought under the control of the newly created Board of Fire Commissioners of NSW (BoFC). The Fire Brigades Act was extended to Cootamundra in 1910, meaning the brigade was no longer left to their own devices. Under the direction of the BoFC, attention was focused on acquiring a new site for the brigade’s station, making it more in line with the BoFC’s requirements. After surveying several sites, land was purchased by the BoFC on Adams Street in 1912. Local architect F.J. Purvis designed the new station, presenting plans to the BoFC that were approved in September 1913. The construction of the station was completed in May 1914, with the brigade’s appliances transferred to the new station on 20 June 1914, bringing the new Cootamundra Fire Station into operation.

Renovations and Refurbishments

One hundred and eleven years later Cootamundra Fire Brigade, still serves the community from the Adams Street station. Throughout the station’s history, major repair work occurred in 1961 to reinvigorate the then 47-year-old station building. This work addressed numerous cracks and water damage within the station, as well as a complete re-paint of the interior and exterior surfaces. Significant renovations of the station took place once again in 2024. The renovations sought to maintain the heritage of the building whilst updating its facilities to meet modern standards. The first stage of renovations saw the construction of a brand-new double engine bay adjacent to the original station building. Later stages of the renovation included the large-scale refurbishment of the station interior, including an overhaul of the station’s amenities and conversion of the original engine bays to serve as a meeting and training room. These renovations were completed in early 2025, with a ceremony held on 11 June 2025 to celebrate to re-opening of Cootamundra Fire Station.

Cootamundra Fire Station, 2025 [Courtesy of Fire and Rescue NSW]

Captains List

Name	Appointment as Captain	End of Service as Captain
G. Hay	1892	1901
R. Hudson	1901	1905
H. Richardson	1905	1915
W. Green	1915	1925
C. Latham	1926	1930
E. Kemp	1930	1943
F. C. Holder	1943	1951
C. Rourke	1951	1952
F. J. Holder	1952	1974
J. Simpfendorfer	1974	1989
A. Heritage	1989	2003
L. Carr	2003	Present

Historic Fleet List

Year	Make/Model	Fleet Number	Type
1893	-	-	Hose Reel
1902	-	-	Hose Reel
1902	-	-	Hose Reel
1915	NSWFB Conversion	013	Horse-Drawn Pumper
1920	Garford 75s	116	Pumper
1934	Dennis 300/400	127	Pumper
1940	Dennis 300/400	181	Pumper
1943	Mack Type 75	064	Pumper
1944	Mack Type 75	059	Pumper
1961	Ford Thames	316	Pumper
1975	International 1610A	497	Pumper
1985	Ford D200	343	Pumper
1993	International 1710B	568	Pumper
1994	International 1710B	567	Pumper
1996	Bedford MJR 4x4	754	Tanker
2000	Isuzu FTR-800	469	Pumper
2001	Mercedes Sprinter 412D	386	Rescue Van
2006	Isuzu FTR-900	668	Pumper
2016	Mercedes Atego 1626A	150	Rescue Tanker

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

- Story by Museum of Fire Heritage Team