Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) News

The 'im-peck-able' efforts of Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) firefighters and NSW Police have seen an exotic bird reunited with its owner, four days after it vanished from a home in Sydney's west. The two-year-old turquoise-fronted amazon, named 'Skittles,' was being kept in the backyard of an Auburn home, when it got a fright and flew away late last week. Its devastated owner contacted NSW Police to report it missing. Number of tricks for rescuers Skittles walked onto her owner's arm and was pl...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) now is deploying a Strike Team to western Victoria, where it will help protect communities facing a bushfire emergency and forecast of extreme heat in the coming days. Fifteen firefighters and three incident management experts will deploy with five vehicles, including state-of-the-art bushfire tankers, light tankers and bulk water carriers, as they support Victoria's Country Fire Authority (CFA) crews.  They'll form part of a larger NSW contingent also involvin...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews have battled a large blaze in an industrial complex at Rydalmere, in Sydney's west, preventing flames from spreading to stocks of Lithium-Ion batteries. The blaze broke out in a unit on South Street, just after 7 am. Around 80 firefighters responded at the height of the fire. As crews accessed the unit ablaze, they found the flames had taken hold in a series of high bay pallet racks of electrical components. They also noticed smoke issuing from an adj...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews have contained a chemical spill at a school in Sydney's south, which caused 28 people to feel unwell this afternoon. A 600 milliliter bottle of benzyl chloride, a chemical sometimes used to make dyes and pharmaceuticals, leaked in a science laboratory on Vine Street, near Kenwyn Street, Hurstville, around midday. It's understood that the chemical was in the process of being moved for disposal. NSW Ambulance paramedics NSW Ambulance paramedics are setting and...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews have used ladders to rescue six people from their balconies, as fire erupted in a unit block in Sydney's west overnight. More than 40 firefighters and 12 fire trucks were deployed to Grose Street, North Parramatta, when the blaze ignited on the ground floor of the three-level complex just after 2 am. FRNSW firefighters Six people sought refuge on their balconies until FRNSW firefighters, using ladders, assisted them to safety Flames threatened to spread to n...

In an Australian firefighting innovation, Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) is rolling out a driving simulator to help emergency crews build their confidence behind the steering wheel in high-risk environments. The mobile technology has been unveiled at FRNSW’s Emergency Services Academy, in Sydney’s west, where it is being used to train recruits before it is moved across the state to strengthen the capabilities of local brigades. The software The software has been specially tailored to...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews have pulled off a delicate one-hour mission to free an elderly man from his overturned car at Mosman, on Sydney's lower north shore. It's understood that the vehicle mounted a footpath, crashed through a fence, and rolled down a steep decline, before ending up on its side, near Balmoral Park, on Coronation Avenue, just after 7 am. The driver, a man in his 80s, was trapped inside the wreckage. Specialist rescue personnel Dozens of firefighters, including speci...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) experts are investigating the cause of a fire that destroyed four cars at Milperra, in Sydney's south-west. The blaze broke out inside a Woorang Street warehouse, used to store a large number of vehicles, around 7:45 am. It's understood that one of the cars ignited before flames quickly spread to three others, including an electric vehicle. FRNSW response FRNSW deployed 12 firefighters and three fire trucks to the scene, with crews managing to knock down the f...

NSW Governor, Her Excellency the Honorable Margaret Beazley AC KC, and Minister for Emergency Services, the Honorable Jihad Dib MP, will join Fire and Rescue NSW Commissioner, Jeremy Fewtrell AFSM, and other dignitaries at a special ceremony to mark the organization’s 140th birthday. From volunteers patrolling the colonial streets of Sydney with hand-carts to boasting a fleet of more than 700 modern appliances, FRNSW has grown into an almost seven-thousand-strong organization with 335 fir...

Dozens of Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) firefighters are working to control a chemical fire at an industrial site at Port Kembla, in the state's Illawarra. Six cylinders containing the highly flammable gas, acetylene, caught alight at the Springhill Road facility just after 10:30 am. The cylinders have been generating significant heat, with their exposure to flames posing a risk of an explosion. Evacuation Fifty workers at the site have been evacuated, as a precaution. FRNSW has deployed m...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews on the state’s far north coast have dealt with an unusual hazardous materials (HAZMAT) emergency. Responding to Triple Zero (000) calls around 7.30 in the morning, firefighters rushed to South Kingscliff beach to find a 44-gallon drum washed up on the shore. The drum indicated it contained 'hydrochloric acid'. Specialist HAZMAT team A specialist HAZMAT team from Tweed Heads was brought in. The firefighters put on protective ‘spillage’ suits...

A working smoke alarm has saved a resident from harm during a fire, sparked by a cordless vacuum cleaner battery at Lake Macquarie. The vacuum cleaner was charging inside a unit on the Old Pacific Highway, Swansea, around 1 pm, when its Lithium-Ion battery burst into flames. The flames then spread to a second vacuum cleaner, stored nearby. The unit’s smoke alarm sounded, alerting the resident, who was cooking in the next room, and neighbors. They quickly removed both vacuum cleaners and...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) firefighters in Sydney's south have forced their way into a burning unit and dragged a critically injured man to safety. The ferocious blaze broke out just after 11 am in a bedroom on the first floor of a four-level complex in Hayburn Street, Rockdale. More than 20 firefighters and six fire trucks were deployed to the scene. FRNSW firefighters   FRNSW firefighters forced their way inside the engulfed unit and rescued an unconscious man FRNSW firefighters forc...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) has held a ceremony at Gunnedah, in the state’s north-west, formally recognizing employers who allow workers to step away from their jobs and protect their communities as on-call firefighters. Sixteen primary employers – including the local council, energy and resource companies, and small businesses – received a certificate of appreciation and promotional stickers acknowledging their ongoing support of FRNSW. Each of the employers continually acce...

Fire and Rescue NSW’s coverage in Sydney’s south-west has been boosted with the installation of a new fire truck. Valued at $950,000, the Scania P320 Class 3 Compressed Air Foam System (CAFS) Pumper seats up to five firefighters and is Smithfield Fire Station’s latest primary vehicle for urban fire response. The automatic transmission ‘heavy’ Pumper is designed for use in both metropolitan and regional areas and is fitted with in-cabin Breathing Apparatus-equi...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) is investigating what sparked a major blaze overnight at a therapy business at Maitland, in the state's lower Hunter. More than 30 firefighters from eight fire trucks responded to the emergency in a High Street industrial complex just before 4:30 this morning. FRNSW expert investigators Firefighters were forced to cut their way into the property to contain and extinguish the fire, which took approximately two hours. Their quick actions prevented flames from sp...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) firefighters have determined a caravan fire at Soldiers Point, in Port Stephens, was sparked by a faulty gas refrigerator. The mobile home was initially attached to a car, parked on a grass verge on Soldiers Point Road, when it ignited around 1:45 pm. No one was inside at the time, and no injuries occurred. NSW Rural Fire Service volunteers The owner, who lives nearby, was alerted to the emergency by a smoke alarm fitted to the caravan The owner, who lives nearby,...

A Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crew has wrangled a venomous snake on the loose in a suburban Sydney backyard. Firefighters at the Menai Fire Station received a distress call about a Red Bellied Black snake wandering in and out of a family home in Kanandah Road, Engadine, around six o’clock last night. FRNSW snake wranglers Team of trained FRNSW snake wranglers arrived at the address and set about tracking down The team of trained FRNSW snake wranglers arrived at the address and set abou...

A Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crew has wrangled a venomous snake on the loose in a suburban Sydney backyard. Firefighters at the Menai Fire Station received a distress call about a Red Bellied Black snake wandering in and out of a family home in Kanandah Road, Engadine, around six o’clock last night. The team of trained FRNSW snake wranglers arrived at the address and set about tracking down the one-and-a-half meter snake at the rear of the property. Wildlife rescue organization &l...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews, extinguishing a house fire at Singleton, in the Hunter Valley, have been stunned to see a pet dog emerge from the ruins, covered in fire-fighting foam. The blaze broke out just after 6.30 this morning, causing a female resident to cry out for help. She fled the house and was treated for smoke inhalation by NSW Ambulance paramedics, as FRNSW crews from Singleton, Branxton, Cessnock, Minmi, and Rutherford battled the blaze. Harmless firefighting foam Covered i...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) firefighters, conducting a series of caravan safety inspections during the Tamworth Country Music Festival, have expressed concern at the level of complacency around working smoke alarms. Over the past six days, local FRNSW crews have visited parks in Tamworth’s riverside camping area, inspecting caravan and campervan smoke alarms and providing crucial fire safety advice to those attending the popular festival. Additional camping sites The firefighters visite...

A Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) team of disaster experts is strategically positioned today, ready to assist the community as Tropical Cyclone Kirrily threatens to strike Far North Queensland. FRNSW has dispatched 23 firefighters to the area as part of a multi-agency NSW deployment led by the State Emergency Service. Queensland’s emergency protocols Many of the FRNSW firefighters are trained in both swift-water rescues and Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) skills, recognized globally by the U...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) and NSW Police are urging body corporates and apartment block residents to remain vigilant after a spate of fire hydrant system thefts in Sydney’s west. FRNSW’s Fire Safety Unit and Blacktown Police have identified thefts from at least 38 sites across 12 suburbs, including Blacktown, Merrylands, and Eastern Creek, since November last year. Firefighting crews in the event The thefts have involved the removal of around 850 kilograms of copper and brass hy...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) investigators now have confirmed a fire at North Bondi, in Sydney's east, was sparked by a faulty Lithium-ion battery. Four visitors from South America were asleep inside a unit in Curlewis Street, near Old South Head Road, when the blaze broke out just before 4 am. FRNSW firefighters One of them was woken by the sound of small explosions; they alerted the other occupants before they fled the smoke-filled building. Two of the people were forced to make their e...

The Commander of Fire and Rescue NSW’s New England/North-West region will address media outlets about an upcoming campaign to promote caravan fire safety during the Tamworth Country Music Festival. FRNSW crews are planning a sweep through busy local caravan parks this week, checking the condition of smoke alarms and providing van owners with preventative safety advice. visiting caravan and campervanners FRNSW is embarking on a Tamworth Country Music Festival Fire Safety Campaign, remind...

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

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) has installed a new $470,000 state-of-the-art firefighting truck at Lithgow, in the state’s Central Tablelands, enhancing its emergency response and rescue capabilities in the local community. The Compressed Air Foam System (CAFS) Class 2 Pumper enables 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 compr...

An elderly driver has escaped with minor injuries after his car ploughed into two units at a retirement village on the state's Central Coast. Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) deployed two crews to the scene of the crash in Bias Avenue, Bateau Bay, just after 11 am. It appears the sedan has smashed through a pillar outside the entrance to one of the units, pushing a pile of bricks and rubble against the external wall of a neighbouring unit before coming to a stop. NSW Ambulance paramedics None...

Fire crews have extinguished a burning truck trailer, that's partially blocked traffic on the M1 Motorway at Morisset, at Lake Macquarie. Motorists reported a large cloud of thick, black smoke emanating from the trailer as the Prime Mover drove south around 12.45pm. The driver, once alerted, pulled the rig to the side of the freeway and used an emergency telephone to contact authorities. FRNSW appliances Five Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) appliances, from Lake Macquarie and Central Coast s...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews have taken possession of a new $2.5m Aerial Platform appliance that provides extra fire protection across the Central Coast. The coast’s firefighters have just finished training on the high-tech appliance, which will be predominantly based centrally at Bateau Bay. The latest aerial appliance features Compressed Air Foam System (CAFS) technology that provides a mix of water and foam to put out fires, much faster and in a more environmentally-friendly...