Breaking Barriers Battling Blazes: The History of Women Firefighters

This week, to coincide with the annual celebration of International Women’s Day, the Museum is proud to officially open our latest exhibition which pays tribute to the role women have played within firefighting in NSW. This exhibition has been produced to celebrate the 40th anniversary of women being permitted to join the NSW Fire Brigade (NSWFB, today Fire and Rescue NSW, FRNSW) as firefighters.

This is the first time that an exhibition has showcased this largely forgotten part of history from the start of the twentieth century to the modern day. From the little-known Armidale Amazons to the importance of the Women’s Fire Auxiliary (WFA) during World War Two, women have not been a silent contributor to the fire safety of the communities across NSW.*

For those who follow the Museum on social media or our blogs you’ll know that we spend a lot of time celebrating anniversaries. We plot these out up to five years in advance and occasionally an anniversary will actually shape our yearly exhibition and event plans. Many years ago, when we plotted the 40th anniversary of the first women joining the NSWFB, we knew we’d make a big deal, but we didn’t know what that yet looked like. When we were approached about the production of a book on women within FRNSW, we knew our role as the Heritage Partner to FRNSW would come into play and we wanted to ensure the stories of the trailblazing women were represented in the exhibition as well, but we also knew this was the space to tell the lost or forgotten stories of the decades before. For example, many women, generally the wives of Retained Firefighters (also known as On-Call Firefighters) “manned” the phone at the station while their husbands went to work, and it was these women who would sound the alarm when a call came in and would oversee the brigade turning out.

Other than in an administrative or supportive capacity, women played little role after World War Two within the NSWFB until the 1980s.

Firefighters Alison Meenahan, Dawn Maynard, Denise Butcher and Heather Barnes with Kristine Klugman, 24 November 1986 [Museum of Fire Collection]

In 1982, Dr Kristine Klugman became the first woman to be appointed to the Board of Fire Commissioners of NSW and she laid the groundwork for women to be permitted to be Firefighters. For more on Dr. Klugman, you can read the blog here.

This coincided with a changing political landscape that resulted in the implementation of the Sex Discrimination Act of 1984 (Cth), which enabled women to be employed in the same roles as men and receive equal pay. This legal change was reflected in 1985 within the NSWFB, when women were given the opportunity to be employed as firefighters. 

Despite the change in legislation in 1985, so that requirements for applicants were no longer restrictive under male body standards, the number of women joining the organisation remained very low throughout the rest of the 1980s and the early 1990s.  

In 1985, four women became Permanent Firefighters, however, the next women did not join the NSWFB in a permanent capacity until 1989, at which time two more women joined the ranks. It wasn’t until 1992 that another three more women joined the Permanent Brigade, followed by another four in 1993. Until the late 1990s, the number of women joining the NSWFB’s permanent ranks remained low but eventually began to increase steadily.

By comparison, the first female Retained Firefighter (also known as On-Call Firefighters) was appointed in 1986. The following year, 1987 saw around seven women join retained brigades and this number would remain steady.

As the heritage partner to FRNSW the Museum produces all types of historic stories throughout the year that celebrates the history of the organisation. Unfortunately, for the most part, women are often absent, even though history tells us they likely played a part. This is generally because those stories haven’t been recorded and when we have been able to share them it is only because the memories have been passed down in the community. This isn’t necessarily just when it comes to local history though. The WFA was a state-wide organisation yet there are no overarching state records that tell this part of history. It is only when our heritage team conduct work on specific stations that they may uncover the information about the local WFA.

Members of the Women’s Fire Auxiliary conduct hose drills, c. 1944.

Over the last decade, the Museum has produced 72 station history books for FRNSW. Just 14 of these books feature stories about women. When it comes to sharing the history of women within firefighting, we are proud to be able to provide a space and platform to this important piece of the state’s firefighting story.

The Museum’s team have worked overtime to bring this exhibition to life and to pay tribute to the pioneering women who joined the brigade forty years ago. To learn more about this history, you can visit the exhibition, which will remain on show at the Museum until November this year.

*Who were the Armidale Amazons?

The Armidale Amazons were an incredibly well-trained brigade of young women; however, literature at the time of the NSW Fire Brigade’s existence confirms they were established as a ‘novelty performance group’, but despite this, their skill became well known both around Australia and overseas, with American newspapers even reporting on the girls.

Group portrait of the Armidale Amazons, c. 1902 [Museum of Fire Collection]

When the Brigade was established in 1901 by Armidale’s local Captain T. Webb, he trained the girls incredibly well. The girls performed at the 1903 and 1904 Armidale Demonstrations and, in 1905, travelled to a Fire Brigade event at Forbes, where they were so popular they were asked to make a stop in Bathurst to perform for the local community on their way home to Armidale.

Following their 1905 tour, the Amazons largely faded from public view, likely because as the girls grew older, it was no longer considered appropriate for them to continue performing. However, about a decade later, there were reports of the group being reformed, though it is unclear whether it involved the original members or a new generation. Each time the group was reassembled, it was for a single performance in support of the war effort.

For more on the Armidale Amazons keep an eye on our blogs and head into the Museum to see the exhibition!

For more about the Women’s Fire Auxiliary you can visit the Museum or check out these blogs:

The Women's Fire Auxiliary (WFA)

Sustaining the Firies – The Mobile ‘Canteen’ (1942 Ford 21W)

On the eve of International Women's Day, Member for Liverpool, Charishma Kaliyanda joined key Fire and Rescue NSW personnel with CEO Belinda McMartin to celebrate the official opening on Thursday 6 March 2025.

-Story by Museum of Fire CEO, Belinda McMartin