Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) News

The Fire and Rescue NSW fleet at Lake Macquarie has been significantly boosted with the arrival of a state-of-the-art Rescue Pumper, valued at almost half-a-million dollars. The Iveco-brand Class 2 pumper will provide firefighters working out of the Morisset Fire Station with another major resource to combat structural, chemical, fuel and grass fires. The $470,000 truck is fitted with an environmentally beneficial Compressed Air Foam System (CAFS), which means it can pump a water and foam...

Fire and Rescue NSW has located a body in the ruins of a unit, destroyed by fire in south-west Sydney earlier in the day. Crews were called to a two-storey unit block in Wilkins Street, Yagoona just before 11 am following reports of a blaze. More than 20 firefighters and six fire trucks were deployed to the scene, with the fire on the ground floor contained and extinguished in approximately 30 minutes. Body discovered The body of a man was located on the property, and three people were treate...

Fire and Rescue NSW’s latest aerial pumper has rolled off the production line and arrived at its new home at Penrith Fire Station. Valued at $2.5m, the state-of-the-art appliance is the latest of 11 new aerial platforms, strategically placed to protect the state’s built-up areas from high-rise emergencies. The truck boasts Compressed Air Foam System (CAFS) technology, which means not only can it extend upwards 24-metres, it can pump out a mix of foam and water at 6000 litres a minu...

Fire protection in the state’s Upper Hunter region has been boosted with the arrival of a new, state-of-the-art Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) engine at Denman. The $470,000 Compressed Air Foam System (CAFS) Iveco Class 2 pumper enables firefighters to tackle structural, chemical, petrol, and grass fires, using up to five times less water than normal.  The highly efficient system combines foam concentrate with compressed air to supply fire hoses with superior ‘knock down’ c...

A Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) Command in Sydney’s inner west is trialling a concept to engage cultural communities about residential fire dangers, in their own languages, at public information sessions. FRNSW’s Metropolitan East 3, which covers the inner west of Sydney, held a successful engagement session last week with around three-dozen members of its local Chinese-Australian community at Burwood Park. Addressed in Mandarin and Cantonese The crowd was addressed in Mandarin and...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) is set to come out ‘all guns blazing’ in just over a week when the ‘fireys’ take on the Royal Australian Navy in their traditional “Ship to Shore’ Cup Rugby League match. It’s set to be a fiery encounter on Sunday, 21 April at North Sydney Oval, a curtain raiser to the NSW Cup game between Norths and Canberra. Last time the FRNSW Phoenix played the RAN Tridents, both captains were sent from the field, with the firefighters c...

Firefighters have taken possession of a new, multi-purpose tanker to protect the community in and around Condobolin, in the state’s Central West. The Mercedes Atego Class 1 tanker, valued at $660,000, has just been installed at Condobolin Fire Station. Regarded as a ‘jack of all trades’ vehicle, the tanker can travel off-road to respond to emergencies. Pump-and-roll capability The tanker boasts a ‘pump-and-roll’ capability that enables it to deliver water wh...

Firefighters at Fire and Rescue NSW’s station at Rutherford have received a new multi-purpose Tanker to deal with emergencies in the Hunter Valley. The FRNSW crew has spent several days familiarizing itself with its new Mercedes Atego Class 1 Tanker, valued at $660,000, before the truck’s official installation. The Class 1 is a ‘jack of all trades’ vehicle for FRNSW, capable of traveling off-road to reach fire scenes. Specialist Hazmat tanker It boasts a ‘pu...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) firefighters have teamed up with a State Emergency Service (SES) crew to pull off a dramatic rescue in floodwaters at Dapto, south of Wollongong. The FRNSW crew, from Berry Fire Station, was called to a vehicle swamped by floodwaters in Cleveland Street around 7am. The land-based In-Water Rescue technicians attached a Personal Flotation Device to a 70mm fire hose and tried to float the PFD to the stranded motorist, without success. The Rescue effort The firefi...

Two people have been rescued after a gyrocopter crash off Marmong Point at Lake Macquarie. The amphibious aircraft was skimming the water, attempting to take off, when it overturned, almost 500 meters offshore, just before 10.30 am. Two people on board the submerged aircraft scrambled onto nearby boats. They’ve been assessed by NSW Ambulance paramedics and are uninjured. The aircraft has been towed to a local marina for further investigation. FRNSW HAZMAT specialists Fire...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) has used drone technology to inspect damage and detect hotspots after fire engulfed a former service station at Narrandera, in the state's Riverina, overnight. The blaze broke out in Larmer Street just before midnight, taking a few minutes to devour the abandoned building and cause parts of it to collapse. Risk of explosion FRNSW immediately deployed a dozen firefighters and three fire trucks from the township and nearby Leeton. There was no identified risk of...

A crew from the Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) station at Wyong has proved too good after the first regional heats of the 2024 Firefighter Championships at the weekend. One of 19 teams competing at Tumut, in the foothills of the Snowy Mountains, Wyong set out, determined to defend its title as reigning NSW champion. Central Coast firefighting crew Additional firefighting teams will compete in the next round of the championship at Kelso The Central Coast firefighting crew took out seven of the 1...

The tranquility of the Snowy Mountains foothills will make way for the clanking of hydrants, the pounding of fire boots and the urgent barking of orders this weekend when the NSW Regional Firefighting Championships take place at Tumut. The first round of regional heats for fire crews will take place at Bull Paddock, in the picturesque village, this weekend, March 23/24. Hard-fought competition Twenty teams are taking part in the hard-fought competition to earn the right to represent their eme...

From vintage truck displays to historical reflections, Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) will pay homage to the state’s oldest regional brigades as it takes its 140-year celebrations to the 2024 Sydney Royal Easter Show. The icon of the Sydney events calendar – first held in 1823 and itself steeped in rural tradition – will highlight the state’s long and proud firefighting history when it returns to Sydney Olympic Park from 22 March to 2 April. Goulburn’s brigade FRNSW...

Firefighters at Fire and Rescue NSW’s Glen Innes station have received a new multi-purpose Tanker to deal with emergencies in the state’s Northern Tablelands. The FRNSW crew has been familiarizing itself with its new Mercedes Atego Class 1 Tanker this week following the truck’s installation at the fire station. Additional safeguard for the crew Class 1 is a ‘jack of all trades’ vehicle for FRNSW, capable of traveling off-road to reach fire scenes The Class 1 is...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) firefighters from the state's Central Coast have discovered a young fire safety champion, moments after they saved her family's home from ruins. The Doyalson brigade was called to a home at Blue Haven after a small fire broke out on a kitchen stovetop before spreading to the range hood, around 7:30 pm on Saturday (16 March). Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire, preventing it from moving into both a roof void and wall cavity. They went on to replace a smok...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) experts are investigating the cause of a fire that engulfed a car detailer at Wetherill Park, in Sydney's west, overnight. More than 50 firefighters and 14 fire trucks were deployed to the business in Davis Road, near Elizabeth Street, when the '4th alarm' blaze broke out shortly after 11 pm. When FRNSW crews arrived at the scene, flames were already leaping into the roof of the two-level structure, enabling the fire to quickly spread. Fire Investigation and Resear...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) has expressed concerns about the rising rate of Lithium-Ion battery fires as crews responded to four separate incidents yesterday. Nine fire trucks rushed to an address in Apprentice Drive at Berkeley, on the state’s Central Coast, just after 5 pm the day before, when an electric vehicle charging station caught alight. Crews established a defensive perimeter around the business, fearing multiple Lithium-Ion truck batteries were at risk of catching fire. Fi...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) is reminding the community about the dangers of Lithium-ion batteries after an e-bike caught fire in an apartment at Bankstown, in Sydney's south-west. Four people were inside when the blaze broke out on the third level of a 10-storey building on French Avenue, near Conway Road, around 6:30 am. FRNSW deployed 25 firefighters and four fire trucks to the scene. However, sprinkler systems in the complex activated, containing and largely extinguishing the fire prior to...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) has deployed a new firefighting tanker at Kiama, boosting protection measures for the state’s south coast. Valued at $450,000, the Isuzu Category One tanker is the latest of 34 new tankers funded by the NSW Government after the devastating 2019/20 Black Summer bushfires. Cabin protection spray system The Isuzu is a multi-purpose, off-road-capable tanker that can carry more water than typical urban fire engines The Isuzu is a multi-purpose, off-road-capable t...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews have rescued a cat from a burning home today at Concord, in Sydney's inner west. The single-level property on Broughton Street, near Gipps Street, was otherwise unoccupied when flames threatened to engulf it just after 11 am. Neighbors immediately called Triple-Zero (000) to alert emergency services. FRNSW deployed 25 firefighters and six fire trucks to the scene. FRNSW's FIRU Unit Fire crews forced their way inside the home and carried the pet to safety...

More than 50 Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) firefighters have battled a ferocious fire in a derelict building at Granville, in Sydney's west overnight. The blaze broke out in the two-level property in Good Street, around a quarter to four in the morning. At least 23 fire appliances, including aerial platforms and rescue units, rushed to the scene and found the building engulfed in fire. Building prevented firefighters Signs of structural collapse on at least 2 sides of the building prevented fir...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews have extinguished a fire that engulfed a truck on the Anzac Bridge at Pyrmont, in Sydney's inner suburbs. The flatbed truck, carrying stone and plastic, was traveling in a citybound lane of the carriageway when the load caught alight just before 10:30 a.m. Portable extinguishers A passing motorist spotted flames just behind the cabin and alerted the truck driver, who immediately pulled over and exited the vehicle. He tried using portable extinguishers to...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews have cut open a car to rescue an injured couple after a road crash this morning at Merrylands in Sydney's west. When a fire truck from Parramatta and a Technical Rescue crew from Liverpool arrived at the scene of the two-car crash in Ridge Street, just after 11 am, they found one of the vehicles on its side, resting against a power pole. Firefighters used the power pole to secure the car, as they cut off and removed the roof, using hydraulic cutters and other...

Veteran Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) firefighter, Paul McGuiggan AFSM, has been promoted to the rank of Deputy Commissioner – Field Operations. The appointment sees Mr McGuiggan rise from Assistant Commissioner – Metropolitan Operations and will take effect immediately. Deputy Commissioner McGuiggan is a 38-year career firefighter with extensive local, interstate, and international experience in emergency management, including deployments to the 2009 Victorian Black Saturday Bus...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) is urging the public to be extra cautious after what appears to be the state’s first recorded deaths in a Lithium-Ion battery-related fire last week. About 4.10 am on Thursday, 29 February, four people were inside a townhouse at Teralba at Lake Macquarie when a fire broke out. FRNSW investigators believe a battery was compromised and immediately went into ‘Thermal Runaway,’ a process where a Lithium-Ion cell overheats and gives off toxic gases befo...

An operation, led by Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW), has shored up a large building, which partially collapsed in Sydney's south last week, with the site stabilized and handed back to its managers. The two-storey office block in West Botany Street, Rockdale, began to sag after the ground below it subsided around 6:30 am on Friday (1 March). Approximately 20 people were evacuated as an exclusion zone was set up; however, no injuries were reported. Strengthen the building's foundations A multi-age...

Specialist Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews are at the scene of a partial building collapse at Rockdale, in Sydney's south. Twenty firefighters, including Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) specialists, and six fire trucks responded to the incident in an industrial park on West Botany Street around 6:30 am. Set up laser monitoring Firefighters have set up laser monitoring equipment to detect possible further movement A section of ground has subsided, causing a large two-level office block to sa...

Senior Victorian firefighting officials have thanked NSW crews for their assistance, dealing with that state’s challenging bushfire crisis this week. The Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) Strike Team of five crews, from Windsor, Picton, the Central Coast, Albury and Wagga Wagga, are heading home now after providing valuable assistance to their Victorian counterparts. FRNSW crews and NSW RFS Strike The FRNSW crews and four NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) Strike Teams were assigned to a variety of...

Specialist Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews are at the scene of a partial building collapse at Rockdale, in Sydney's south. Twenty firefighters, including Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) specialists, and six fire trucks responded to the incident in an industrial park on West Botany Street around 6:30 am. Set up laser monitoring Firefighters have set up laser monitoring equipment to detect possible further movement A section of ground has subsided, causing a large two-level office block to sa...