Fire and Rescue NSW celebrates 140th birthday - VIDEO - Sydney
Published: 14 Feb 2024 03:09pm
Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) has marked its 140th birthday today with a special ceremony at one of Australia’s most historic fire stations.
NSW Governor, Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, today joined Emergency Services Minister, Jihad Dib MP; FRNSW Commissioner, Jeremy Fewtrell AFSM, and a host of other dignitaries at a birthday party at the City of Sydney station in Castlereagh Street.
The officials cut a birthday cake to honour the occasion, marking FRNSW’s unique history as an organisation originally run by volunteers, the military and insurance companies until February 14, 1884, when an act of legislation created the Metropolitan Fire Brigade.
In 1910, it was renamed the NSW Fire Brigades and in turn, Fire and Rescue NSW in January 2011.
From the original push-carts and horse-drawn fire appliances, FRNSW now has a fleet of 722 engines, including world-class, multi-million dollar, “Bronto’ aerial platforms that can be operated via remote control and extend 45-metres to deal with high-rise emergencies.
FRNSW’s network of stations across the state has grown to 335 and its workforce has increased to almost seven-thousand permanent and On-call firefighters.
Her Excellency, Governor Beazley, has praised the state’s firefighters for always being prepared at a moment’s notice to protect NSW communities.
“We go about our busy lives, always knowing, at least subconsciously, that the men and women of Fire and Rescue NSW are on shift, poised to respond to all kinds of dangerous emergencies and shield our loved ones from harm,” Her Excellency said.
Minister Dib has acknowledged FRNSW’s evolution over the years and highlighted the work the agency has done to ensure communities across the state have access to important fire safety messages.
“From reaching out to culturally and linguistically diverse communities and communicating in various languages, to the recent PAW Patrol partnership to promote fire safety among young children, I am incredibly proud of the work FRNSW has done in this space.”
“FRNSW is also increasingly representative of the communities it serves, with an increasing number of female firefighters in its ranks.”
Commissioner Fewtrell also expressed his pride in FRNSW’s equitable and inclusive workplace.
“Another measure of our success is the number of our people, whose first language is not English,” Commissioner Fewtrell said, “More than three-percent of our workforce is multi-lingual and more than five-percent identify as either Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
“That diversity is crucial when you’re trying to engage with our various communities, often during an emergency,” he said.
“Today is a proud moment in our history, we have grown from a small outfit patrolling the streets of colonial inner-Sydney to an organisation with a presence right across the state.
“We deal with fires, road crashes, floods, hazardous materials incidents, rescues, disaster response, counter-terrorism assistance, public safety education and much more.
“Our people are ready at an instant to deploy here in NSW, interstate and across the globe.
“The 2019/20 Black Summer Bushfires, the 2022 Northern Rivers Floods and last year’s Turkiye earthquake immediately spring to mind.
“I’m especially proud of our people,” he added, “The Australian ‘can-do’ attitude to get the job done and effect a safe outcome for all is embedded in our joint psyche.
“Today, we’re not just honouring the past but we are looking to the challenges ahead.
“Every firefighter goes about their work knowing that others have been there before them, paving the way for the future.
“In today’s modern world, they’re responding to almost 350 emergencies a day or 14 per hour, across the state, living by FRNSW’s mottos…‘Prepared for Anything’ and ‘Protecting the Irreplaceable.”
Media Note - FRNSW footage of the birthday event can be found here: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/912811531/bb4695efe3 [external link]
Updated: 14 Feb 2024 03:13pm
Details about this incident may change and should not be used as emergency information and/or advice.
For all life threatening emergencies, call Triple Zero (000)
For flood information, warnings or requests for non-life threatening assistance, call the SES on 132 500 or visit the NSW State Emergency Service website here. [external link].
For information directly relating to bushfires please call the Bush Fire Information Line on 1800 679 737 or visit the NSW Rural Fire Service Website here. [external link]
Stations nearby
166 Kent Street, The Rocks NSW 2000
147 Pyrmont Street, Pyrmont NSW 2009
211-217 Castlereagh Street, Sydney NSW 2000