Ryde Fire Station opened as NSW Government invests in future fire stations

Emergency Services Minister Jihad Dib today officially opened the new Ryde Fire Station in Sydney’s north-west, the first project delivered under an almost $28 million investment in suburban and regional fire stations across the state.

The $9.2 million facility located in Coxs Road, North Ryde replaces a 107-year-old building and is positioned among suburban homes and one of Sydney’s largest business and industrial centres.

It provides a modern workspace for the 19 permanent firefighters who will use it as their base, and respond to an average of more than 2,000 incidents every year.

The station will primarily service Ryde, North Ryde, West Ryde, Denistone, Macquarie Park and Putney, and continue to support brigades in nearby Concord, Eastwood, Gladesville and Gordon.

Unlike its outdated predecessor, the new fire station has garage space for two fire trucks, instead of one, and includes dedicated ‘clean firefighter’ zones to prevent potential contaminant exposure. The new station also has equitable amenities to reflect FRNSW’s diversifying workforce.

Other major projects announced today include:

• The commitment of $7 million under the state and federal co-funded Infrastructure Betterment Fund for a major redevelopment of Goonellabah Fire Station in the Northern Rivers to make the facility more resilient to flood events.
• Construction has commenced on a new $6.6 million fire station at Busby in Sydney’s south-west which is better equipped to meet the needs of local crews and communities.
• A total of $5 million over four years has been allocated to refurbishing fire stations at Engadine and Sutherland in Sydney’s south, and Coledale, Helensburgh and Thirroul in the Illawarra area.

In addition to funding these station upgrades, the NSW Government has allocated:

• $22.2 million to continue the FRNSW fleet replacement program for fire, support, and aerial appliances
• $18.3 million to improve FRNSW’s water rescue capabilities in the wake of the 2022 flood disasters
• $7.9 million to continue work on a new integrated Computer-Aided Dispatch program
• $9.2 million to support communication technologies to keep firefighters and the community safe.

Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib said:

“The NSW Government is committed to providing high quality emergency services and working closely with FRNSW to prioritise stations for modernisation.”

“These investments aren’t just improving the working conditions for our firefighters, but also increasing the liveability of the communities they service.”

“From rapidly growing parts of metropolitan Sydney to flood-prone regional areas, we’re building better fire stations which are more resilient to changes in the environment.”

Fire and Rescue NSW Commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell said:

“The need for these investments reflects the increasing complexity of firefighting and the different roles firefighters fulfill.”

“These new fire stations ensure we have the best equipment and resources to be prepared for the challenges of today and the future.”

“Our firefighters not only respond to fires but other incidents including rescue, hazardous materials and medical response, as well as working on prevention and community preparedness strategies.

“We will continue to work with the NSW Government on delivering state-of-the-art facilities that equip our firefighters to better manage this diversifying workload.”