Mascot Fire Station turns 100
Published: 6th December 2013
Fire & Rescue NSW (FRNSW) Commissioner Greg Mullins today (Friday, 6 December) joined firefighters and community representatives to celebrate Mascot Fire Station's 100th anniversary.
Commissioner Mullins said Mascot Fire Station's centenary celebration represented an important milestone for the community.
"It is an opportunity to thank all of the firefighters, past and present, who have served the Mascot community with such commitment and integrity over the years," Commissioner Mullins said.
"Our firefighters have been protecting the Mascot and surrounding communities since a volunteer brigade was formed in 1891.
"The brigade’s first fire station was erected on council-owned land adjacent to the town hall in Coward St and a 21-year lease agreement was entered into between the council and the then Fire Brigades Board.
"Once the lease expired in 1913, the fire station which stands today was built on government-acquired land next to the original station’s site."
The new premises were reportedly described at the time as "a great improvement on the unornamental and inconvenient weatherboard structure which the volunteer fire brigade formerly occupied."
"For the past 100 years, firefighters from this station have responded to major incidents from industrial and residential fires to aeroplane crashes. In the early years they would be equipped with nothing more than a horse-drawn hose reel," Commissioner Mullins said.
"Today, the 16 permanent firefighters stationed at Mascot have modern fire engines and the latest in equipment and technology to ensure the safety and protection of the local community," Commissioner Mullins said.
Mascot firefighters responded to nearly 1250 fire and emergency calls last financial year and conducted more than 220 community education and engagement activities.
Mascot Fire Station will be open to the public today from 12.30pm to 2.30pm. There will be a historical display, including a fire truck which served at the station during the 1940s, and a sausage sizzle.