Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) News

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) has installed a new $470,000 state-of-the-art firefighting truck at Young, in the state’s Hilltops region, enhancing its emergency response and rescue capabilities in the local community. The Compressed Air Foam System (CAFs) Class 2 Pumper allows firefighters to tackle structural, chemical, petrol, and grass fires using up to five times less water than normal. Best equipment and technology The highly efficient system combines foam concentrate with compressed...

Four people have escaped an intense house fire, possibly caused by an e-scooter on charge, at Narraweena, on Sydney’s northern beaches. Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) firefighters responded to the blaze in Ronald Avenue, just after 4 am. On arrival, the crews were confronted with smoke billowing from the single-storey home. Defensive strategy A collapsing roof and extreme heat prevented the crews from entering the house A collapsing roof and extreme heat prevented the crews from ente...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) is working to release the driver of a small truck, which has crashed into a house in Bexley, in Sydney's south. Six appliances and more than 20 firefighters are on scene at the crash, which occurred around 6.30am on the corner of Forest Road and Mimosa Street. The truck has caused major structural damage to the house and live powerlines have been brought down. Safe evacuation Energy authorities have isolated the power. The driver is conscious and crews are wor...

A stalwart of Oberon Fire Station, Firefighter - Peter Ryan, is celebrating 60 years of continuous service with Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW). The service marked the occasion with a barbecue at the station on Monday night, with Commissioner, Jeremy Fewtrell, and Assistant Commissioner - Regional Operations, Cheryl Steer, in attendance to express their gratitude. NSW Fire Brigades Peter has been awarded a second gold clasp to the NSW Fire Brigades Long Service In recognition of the significant...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) firefighters have released the driver of a small truck that crashed into a house in Bexley this morning. The accident occurred around 6.30 am on the corner of Forest Road and Mimosa Street. The man is believed to have suffered minor injuries and has been transported to the hospital for further assessment. A family of four was safely evacuated from the property with no injuries. The house was extensively damaged in the incident, and the council and other governme...

Nineteen teams of first responders will put their skills to the test in a multi-agency ‘Road Crash Rescue Challenge’ in Dubbo. The State Road Crash Rescue Challenge is a two-day event that provides frontline emergency workers with the opportunity to showcase their knowledge in relation to incident command, vehicle extractions and first aid. Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) will compete alongside the NSW State Emergency Service (SES), Victoria’s Country Fire Authority (CFA) and the...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews have extinguished a building fire at Charlottes Pass in the NSW snowfields. The emergency occurred around 6.30 in the morning, when flames took hold of a sewage treatment plant, housed in a two-level building, near Mount Kosciuszko's peak. Four fire trucks and 16 firefighters responded to the scene. Rescue effort Fire rescue crews established a relay to pump water to the isolated location. No injuries were reported and there was no need for any evacuatio...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) hazardous materials (HAZMAT) experts and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority have successfully conducted a specialist training exercise on board a bulk container ship at Port Botany in Sydney. The firefighters, from FRNSW’s HAZMAT-qualified station at Alexandria, have spent three years training in ship-boarding by boat, helicopter winching and insertions at sea techniques, to prepare for operations such as Exercise Noxium, with AMSA, NSW Ports and the Port...

A new, state-of-the-art Bushfire Tanker has arrived in Goulburn to protect the communities of the state’s Southern Tablelands.  Valued at $450,000, the Category One tanker is the latest of 34 new appliances funded by the NSW Government after the devastating 2019/20 Black Summer bushfires. Isuzu - multi-purpose tanker The four-wheel drive also incorporates a new ‘Halo’ cabin protection spray system to protect its crew The Isuzu is a multi-purpose, off-road-capable tanke...

Fire protection in the state’s North-west Slopes has been bolstered with the arrival of a new Bushfire Tanker. Valued at $450,000, the Category One tanker is the latest of 34 new appliances funded by the NSW Government, after the devastating 2019/20 Black Summer bushfires. The Isuzu is a multi-purpose, off-road-capable tanker that can carry more water than typical urban fire engines. The four-wheel drive also incorporates a new ‘Halo’ cabin protection spray system to prot...

More than 2,500 people have been safely evacuated from Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Center in Homebush, following a solar panel fire this afternoon. Six appliances and 24 Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) firefighters responded to the incident in Shane Gould Avenue at 12.15pm after reports of black smoke issuing from the building. Upon investigation, crews found a working fire in the solar panels on the roof of the sporting facility. Rescue and ongoing investigation Firefighters quickly got to...

The owners of a motorcycle dealer and repair shop have paid a visit to firefighters who saved their business from a devastating blaze in Brookvale, on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Around 9:30 pm on 8 May, 2024, more than 60 firefighters responded to a fire on Old Pittwater Road in Brookvale. While the blaze devastated one business, a Dry Cleaner, the actions of attending firefighters contained the fire to the one building, preventing adjoining businesses being impacted. FRNSW’s...

A working smoke alarm has saved a woman's life during a fierce house fire at Hamilton in Newcastle. Fifteen Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) units from across Newcastle, including an aerial platform and Rescue and HAZMAT trucks, responded to the single storey home, in Bennett Street around 2.15 am. Wearing breathing apparatus Firefighters, wearing breathing apparatus, battled the third alarm blaze as it engulfed the property. The woman's life was saved when she was woken in bed by her smoke alarm...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) firefighters have entered a burning home at Minnamurra, on the state’s south coast, and rescued a pet dog, sheltering under a chair. FRNSW crews from Kiama, Shellharbour and Albion Park responded to the house fire on Charles Avenue along with NSW Ambulance shortly, before 7 pm on Tuesday.  Time for a safe evacuation Firefighters commenced a search of the home once the blaze was under control. After several sweeps, one of the firefighters followed their i...

Investigations are underway into the cause of a fire that has destroyed a dry cleaning business on Sydney's Northern Beaches. More than 60 Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) firefighters and 16 appliances, as well as a Mobile Command Center and specialist ladder and hazardous material trucks, were called to the incident in Old Pittwater Road, Brookvale, around 9.30 last night. Front and rear of the premises Fire was issuing from the windows in both the front and rear of the premises and through the...

Firefighters at Grafton have received a new multi-purpose Tanker to handle emergencies in the state’s Northern Rivers. Valued at $660,000, the Mercedes Atego Class 1 Tanker is a 'jack of all trades' fire engine. It features a ‘pump and roll’ capability that allows it to tackle grass fires and bushfires while moving. It also boasts a ‘HALO’ sprinkler cabin protection system, designed to spray water over the cab to protect the crew from enveloping flames during a bus...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews have used a high-tech Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS), or drone, to assess the stability of an alleged clandestine drug lab, rocked by an explosion at Chester Hill, in Sydney’s south-west. The explosion in the two-storey house in Curtis Road occurred around 1 am yesterday morning (Wednesday, 8 May). FRNSW’s Aviation Unit FRNSW crews rushed to the home and extinguished a small fire before handing the scene to NSW Police FRNSW crews rushed...

The Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crew at Gundagai, in the state’s Riverina, has welcomed a new multi-purpose tanker. The Mercedes Atego Class 1 tanker, valued at $660,000, has been delivered to the town’s fire station and the crew has spent the last few days familiarising itself with the vehicle. Pump-and-roll capability Regarded as a ‘jack of all trades’ truck for FRNSW, the Class 1 is capable of traveling off-road to reach fire scenes. It boasts a ‘pump-and-rol...

A local business in Deniliquin has been formally recognized for supporting Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) for more than 30 years. Purtill Group was presented with a Primary Employer Recognition Award by FRNSW Commissioner, Jeremy Fewtrell, as part of its St Florian’s Day ceremony at City of Sydney Fire Station on Saturday (4 May). On-call firefighters to incidents Employers provide flexibility to enable on-call firefighters to respond to incidents, join strike teams The family-owned and o...

Firefighters have helped rescue a family of four, trapped in a house crushed by a large tree during last night's rainstorm at Avalon Beach, on Sydney's northern beaches. A 35-year-old man was putting an 11-month-old toddler to bed just after 8.30 last night, when the tree crashed through the roof of the Kevin Avenue home. Neighbors reported the family's screams for help after the near miss. A Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crew from Avalon was quickly on the scene along with Police, NSW Ambulance...

An off-duty firefighter who saved a semi-conscious girl from a house fire in the Blue Mountains is among almost 100 people formally recognized by Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) as part of a special St Florian’s Day event at City of Sydney Fire Station. St Florian’s Day, also known as International Firefighter’s Day, is commemorated annually on 4 May and FRNSW is marking this by acknowledging firefighters who have gone ‘above and beyond’ normal duties. FRNSW's smoke a...

Fire and water normally don’t mix, but tonight will see a team of firefighters go ‘head-to-head’ with the famous Bondi Icebergs club in a swimming challenge to honour a local ‘legend.’ Edward ‘Ted’ Mulhall, a stalwart of the Icebergs swimming club, was also a retired Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) Superintendent, who had his silver firefighter helmet cut in half when he called ‘time’ on his 39-year career in Sydney. Firefighting team to showca...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) is throwing open its doors for its annual Open Day on Saturday, 11 May 2024 and urging the community to ‘be fire safe’ to help protect themselves and their loved ones. Many fire stations across NSW will be open from 10.00 am to 2.00 pm with a range of free activities including firefighting demonstrations, station tours and safety presentations. Fire trucks and firefighting Families can also see the fire trucks and firefighting and rescue equipment up cl...

Smoke from planned hazard reduction burns being undertaken by fire agencies and land managers and across the weekend may settle in areas including the South Coast, Snowy Monaro, Snowy Valleys, Narrabri, Warrumbungle and Sydney regions. Forecast light winds, along with forecast overnight inversions, will see residual smoke from these burns settle in some areas over the next few days, especially on Sunday morning. These are important controlled burns which will reduce the risk to people and...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews have sharpened their emergency skills during a road crash training drill at Lake Macquarie this week. Firefighters from Morisset and Toronto FRNSW stations joined NSW Ambulance and the Rural Fire Service, responding to a local, mass casualty simulation involving a bus and four-wheel drive earlier in the week. Other local emergency services The training operation not only allowed the firefighters to fine-tune their rescue skills The scenario required the &ldq...

A ferocious fire has destroyed a townhouse in Doonside in western Sydney. More than 30 Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) firefighters and eight appliances, including an aerial pumper, were called to a row of townhouses in Belus Way after the blaze broke out around 7.00 am. One of the townhouses was engulfed in flames, causing the roof to collapse. It took firefighters around 30 minutes to control and extinguish the fire, which had also spread to the roof cavity of an adjoining property. NSW Police a...

The ANZAC Day service at Fire and Rescue NSW’s City of Sydney station will carry added poignancy this year, as it marks the 25th anniversary of the death of a heroic sailor, murdered nearby. Leading Seaman, John Laurence “Hap” Hammond, was stabbed when he rushed to help a woman being robbed at an ATM, meters from the Fire Station in Castlereagh Street on ANZAC Day, 1999. FRNSW’s main ANZAC Day service FRNSW’s main ANZAC Day service pays tribute to Leading Hammond...

A Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crew was faced with an usual challenge at Queanbeyan, near Canberra, at the weekend – a Husky puppy whose head became stuck in a chair. The emergency unfolded at a home in Crawford Street, just before 8.30 on Saturday night, when 14-week-old ‘Ace’ became entangled in the chair’s metal spokes. The Queanbeyan fire crew used hydraulic cutting tools to carefully cut ‘Ace’ free. Still curious, the puppy was quick to assess the cr...

Motorists are being urged to avoid Lane Cove Tunnel following a truck fire earlier this morning. Five Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews were called to the scene around 6.30 am, after reports a mobile crane truck was well alight. The sprinkler system controlled the blaze, while firefighters extinguished the fire completely. Heavy tow truck required There were no reported injuries; however, a number of people evacuated their vehicles as a safety precaution. All east-bound lanes are closed...

A mobile crane truck, which caught fire in the Lane Cove Tunnel earlier in the day, has been removed. A heavy tow truck removed the truck that caught fire around 6.30 am. The tunnel's sprinkler system controlled the blaze whilst Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews extinguished the fire completely. Quick Response by FRNSW Firefighters then mopped up a hazardous oil spill and made the area safe. There were no reported injuries. The incident has caused major traffic delays, and motorists...