Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) News

Minister for Emergency Services, Jihad Dib, will inspect the new Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) Aerial Platform appliance that’s just been stationed this week at Bateau Bay on the Central Coast.  Priced at $2.5 million, the state-of-the-art truck boasts a Compressed Air Foam System (CAFS) which can pump out a mixture of water and foam at a rate of 6000 liters a minute. The Aerial Platform has been centrally based on the coast to meet the future needs of the area’s increasing popu...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) regrets to advise of the death of a firefighter at a house fire at Grose Vale, north-west of Sydney, this morning. The 51-year-old FRNSW on-call firefighter was among the first crews responding to the house, which became engulfed in flames, on Grose Vale Road just before 8 am. FRNSW and NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) firefighters both performed CPR until paramedics arrived and the man was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigating the circumstances FRNSW is wor...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews have extinguished a large blaze in a scrap metal yard at St Marys in Sydney’s west. The fire broke out amongst 500 tons of scrap at the Christie Street recycling business just after 6 pm. More than 50 firefighters, using 14 fire trucks, battled for five hours to contain the flames, while employees from the business used heavy machinery to break up the piles of metal. Three aerial platforms Three aerial platforms supported fire crews in breathing ap...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews have returned control of a major fire scene in a scrap metal yard at St Marys, in Sydney’s west, back to its operators. More than 50 firefighters, using 14 fire trucks, battled the blaze in the Christie Street premises for five hours until 11 o’clock last night, preventing flames in 500 tons of scrap metal from spreading to nearby properties. Employees from the recycling business assisted fire crews, using heavy machinery to disperse the burning pi...

A Hunter Valley firefighter, who lost his home and possessions in a devastating bushfire, but kept working to protect his neighbors’ properties, has been issued with replacement service medals by the Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) Commissioner. Senior Firefighter, Steve Cox, was temporarily working out of a fire station at Kurri Kurri on October 16, when neighbors rang him to warn that a wall of flames was bearing down on his Girvan home. 60-year-old Steve raced home as his wife, Lyne,...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) has teamed up with the Rural Fire Service (RFS) to visit a large retirement village in Bargo, south of Sydney, and deliver key summer safety messages for their most vulnerable, leading into Christmas. Over 50 firefighters from each agency gathered over the weekend at the Waratah Highlands Retirement Village as part of a joint agency initiative. The idea for the engagement was hatched when local MP for Wollondilly, Judy Hannan, received feedback from local reside...

A Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crew has come to the rescue of a woman, giving birth three weeks early in a hotel at Bundanoon, in the state’s Southern Highlands. The Bundanoon Fire Station responded to a Triple Zero (000) call around 3 pm. A key member of the four-person crew for this job was Firefighter, Roberto Gnecchi-Ruscone, who had just completed a pediatric assessment refresher course three days earlier. Community First Responder Roberto is a firefighter trained in FRNSW&rsqu...

A new chapter in the history of Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) has been written now, with Jeremy Fewtrell formally recognized as the state's 23rd Fire Commissioner. Commissioner Fewtrell has been honored in a 'Commencement of Command' ceremony during the Graduation Day at FRNSW's Emergency Services Academy at Orchard Hills in Sydney's west. Commissioner's black helmet The occasion was marked by Her Excellency, the Honorable Margaret Beazley AC QC, Governor of NSW The occasion was marked by...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) firefighters, battling a blaze in a grain silo at Leeton in the state’s Riverina last week, have discovered a new use for their Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), or drones, that is expected to significantly reduce the length of emergency operations. The smoldering, slow-burning fire broke out in a silo containing 600 tonnes of field peas, within a local business last Friday (24 November). Low levels of smoke were issuing from the top of the silo....

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) today is deploying five 'in-water' strike teams to flood-impacted communities on the state's South Coast, where heavy rainfall is forecast in areas already saturated overnight. The teams, comprising 20 highly trained firefighters and two team pioneers, will be working in Ulladulla, Batemans Bay, Moruya, Bega and Eden, where they will support the NSW State Emergency Service response to any potential flood emergency. NSW Government package FRNSW is deploying speciall...

The Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crew from Ulladulla has elevated its skills to new heights, carrying out a training mission on clifftops at Mollymook, on the state’s south coast. The crew, led by Captain Paul Collins, had an opportunity to test out new equipment and decided to complete on-station exercises before conducting specialist Vertical Rescue training, around 40 meters above sea-level. real-time emergency Drills allowed the firefighters a chance to familiarize themselves with th...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) and State Emergency Service crews have joined forces to share their operational know-how during a two-week training program in the Southern Highlands. Firefighters from 385 Moss Vale station recently hosted the SES crew from Wingecarribee, explaining the techniques they use to carry out a variety of different rescues. SES volunteers SES volunteers staged a mock, two-vehicle road crash, encouraging the fire crew to extricate In return, the SES volunteers staged a m...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) is issuing an urgent warning about the dangers of Lithium-ion batteries after separate fires in Sydney's inner west and the state's Northern Rivers. Around 8:50 am, FRNSW crews were called to Unwins Bridge Road, St Peters, where a home-made e-bike and battery pack had ignited in the rear yard of a home. Incompatible charging device Firefighters quickly contained and extinguished the blaze. They also placed the battery in water to prevent it from heating uncont...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews have identified the danger posed by clutter in a unit, damaged by fire at Parramatta earlier this week. A working smoke alarm saved three residents and their two pets from the blaze in the public housing apartment in Thomas Street, just after 7 am on Monday. Extinguishing the fire Seven fire crews rushed to the scene as 15 people were evacuated from the unit block Seven fire crews rushed to the scene as 15 people were evacuated from the unit block. Firefight...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) has prevented a potential catastrophic explosion after a gas main ruptured and caught ablaze at Manly, in Sydney's Northern Beaches. A worker sustained minor burns as a result of the fire, which broke out on Darley Road, near Ashburner Street, around 10:45 am. He was checked over by NSW Ambulance paramedics before being taken to the hospital for further treatment to his face and hands. FRNSW firefighters A dozen FRNSW firefighters worked for two-and-a-half hours to...

A firefighter has been injured during a large house fire this morning at North Willoughby on Sydney's lower north shore. More than 40 Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) firefighters and at least 12 appliances rushed to Hollywood Crescent around 9.30 this morning.  On arrival, crews found the two-floor home engulfed by flames. Fire crews immediately attacked the blaze from all four sides. Containing the fire A firefighter was trying to access the second storey when he burnt his hand. He was...

Two Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) firefighters have tied the knot, taking their vows to new 'fahrenheits' by stopping at the fire station where they first met, immediately after the wedding ceremony. Captain, Amon Burkill, and his 'flame', fellow on-call firefighter Jenna Giesler, met at work in mid-2021 and quickly 'sparked' a romance, dating each other from November the same year. Over the weekend, they became a 'crew of two' by walking down the aisle and exchanging the all-important vows....

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) is crediting a smoke alarm for saving the lives of two people as fire engulfed a townhouse at Auburn, in Sydney's west. Around 20 firefighters and six fire trucks responded to the blaze, which broke out on Park Road, near York Street, just before 6 am. Flames consumed the upper level of the two-floor home, burning so intensely they caused the roof and walls to collapse. Containing the fire FRNSW crews battled for almost an hour to contain the fire, preventing...

Two teens have been treated for smoke inhalation after a garage fire at Scone in the state's Hunter Valley. Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews from Scone and Aberdeen rushed to Kookaburra Avenue just before 1.30 yesterday afternoon after numerous Triple Zero (000) calls about a large volume of smoke and flames from the property. Extinguishing the flames They believe the fire began in a camping swag, which contained spent batteries from a lamp Two youths, aged 13 and 16, escaped the garage but...

Grafton’s Fire and Rescue NSW crew is singing the praises of its recent, new drone capability, declaring it a ‘game-changer’ for local firefighting. The Grafton Fire Station first received its drone or Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) licence in February 2021. Almost two years on and Captain, Garry Reardon, describes it as revolutionary for firefighting. Providing aerial intelligence “The RPAS is deployable in so many different situations, from assessing ha...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) experts are investigating the cause of a fatal unit fire overnight at Young, in the state's South-Western Slopes. The blaze broke out in Stoneridge Street, just before 11 pm. Four fire trucks and 20 firefighters from FRNSW and the Rural Fire Service (RFS), arrived at the scene to find the fire threatening to spread to an adjoining villa complex. Quick response from fire crews Fire crews acted swiftly to prevent the flames from extending to the neighboring prop...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews have extinguished a fire outside a large factory at Wetherill Park, in Sydney's west. Around 1 pm, more than 50 firefighters and 15 fire trucks were deployed to Redfern Street, where a blaze had broken out in a yard behind a warehouse, used to make tissues, toilet paper, kitchen towels, and napkins. In-built sprinkler system Flames engulfed several large stacks of paper rolls in a sheltered area next to the structure. An in-built sprinkler system at the facil...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) is responding to more than 50 calls for help after strong winds lashed parts of Sydney's west and south-west overnight. Gusts of more than 100 kilometers per hour buffeted some suburbs, leaving a trail of debris and destruction and causing some properties to lose power. NSW State Emergency Service FRNSW has been called in to assist the NSW SES with trees that have crashed down FRNSW has been called in to assist the NSW State Emergency Service (SES) with trees that...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews remain on scene, mopping up, after a fire ripped through a large storage warehouse at Girraween, in Sydney's west, overnight. The blaze broke out on the Great Western Highway just before 2 am. At the peak of the fire, more than 100 firefighters and 20 fire trucks worked to stop the fierce fire from spreading to neighboring businesses. Firefighters pumping water Firefighters used four aerial ladder trucks to safely get over the top of the fire to contain it F...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) firefighters have pulled off the 'purr-fect' rescue effort, extricating a cantankerous kitten from the dashboard of a car at Blackett, in Sydney's west. The kitten was being driven home for the first time by its new owner, along Devaney Street, just before midday yesterday, when the frightened feline made a run for it, scampering behind the dashboard where it got stuck. Ropes Crossing Fire Station A distress call went out to the crew from the Ropes Crossing Fire St...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) is praising the actions of four police officers who kicked open a door to rescue a man from his burning home at Fairfield East, in Sydney's south-west. Around 4:15 a.m., emergency services were deployed to the townhouse on Mitchell Street, where a blaze had broken out in a bedroom. NSW Ambulance paramedics NSW Police were the first to arrive on-scene and quickly established that a man was trapped inside. They forced open a door and found him lying on the ground, su...

A quick response from Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews has prevented an e-scooter from exploding in flames today at Burwood, in Sydney's inner west. A service technician was testing a faulty e-scooter inside a store on Burwood Road around 3.20 pm, when it caught fire and began giving off toxic gas. The employee rushed the micro-mobility device outside the service center business and rang Triple Zero (000). Overheating e-scooterThe firefighters immersed the overheating e-scooter in a garb...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) is trying to determine the cause of a large fire that has destroyed a two-storey home at Oyster Bay, in Sydney's south. FRNSW received multiple Triple Zero (000) calls about the blaze in Cook Road just before 11 am. The occupants safely escaped the fire, which started in the ground-floor garage and spread throughout the house. No injuries reported No injuries have been reported. Around 30 firefighters from eight fire trucks, including an aerial platform, battl...

Fire and Rescue NSW’s ability to respond to high-rise emergencies in Sydney’s east has been bolstered by a new $1.5 million turntable ladder truck for the Woollahra Fire Station. The Rosenbauer-manufactured vehicle, built in Germany, replaces an earlier model, which has reached the end of its service life. The new aerial appliance can extend its ladder 33 meters, up to 75 degrees, to deal with elevated emergencies and can hold a combined weight of 500 kilograms. Turntable ladd...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) investigators believe a faulty Lithium-Ion battery was responsible for a weekend e-bike fire that led to the evacuation of 30 people from a high-rise apartment block at Wolli Creek in Sydney's south. The blaze broke out just after 6 pm on Saturday night in a seventh-floor apartment within the Arcliffe Street complex. Residents rushed from their units to safety after the e-bike, on charge, burst into flames, setting fire to a bed. A 30-year-old woman was treated for...