On Sunday 8th September 2024 the Museum hosted our annual History Week Keynote Presentation with this years theme being "Marking Time". As the official heritage partner to Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) the Museum is in the habit of commemorating and remembering the role of firefighters and the history of firefighting each and every day.
This year marks 140 years since the establishment of FRNSW with the passing of the Fire Brigades Act 1884. We remember this milestone with special events and the sharing of historical stories across the year both within the Museum and on our digital platforms. Given this milestone, we thought we would invite the Fire and Rescue NSW Commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell to give the keynote address this year, which you can watch in full here.
Below is an extract from Commissioner Fewtrell’s Speech:
It is important that we know our history, we learn the lessons that it can teach us and respect it’s traditions that it provides us. I’m at the Museum of Fire for this address today, which is a special place for our organisation as our heritage partner. For our firefighters, it's special as it tells our stories, both the current day firefighters and our predecessors, and for the community it's special as it is a place to share our history, educate and inspire the next generation of firefighters. That we have a museum is something special, it speaks to the fact that there is something extra about our organisation and what we do.
After 140 years, one could think that perhaps by now we might have blended into the background of the fabric of everyday life in a modern society. However, firefighting and Fire and Rescue NSW remains more prominent than most other organisations. Maybe this is because of our vehicles. In days gone by, you had horses and their hooves clashing down the street, the bell ringing and a large vehicle thundering down the road. These days we get people's attention with our loud horns and sirens and very visually conspicuous vehicles. Or maybe it's because of our distinctive uniforms, or because of our people who are proud and rightly so, of their membership of our organisation. Which reminds me of a little joke. How do you know if there's any firefighters at a party you might be at? Don't worry, they'll tell you.
Despite all of our modern technological advances, the risk from fire is something that hasn't been eliminated. Perversely, in some aspects, the advances of modern progress have actually made the risk of fire even greater, instead of less. This is the same fear and concern about its possible damage that led to the formation of the first ad hoc firefighting teams, or brigades in the early stages of colonial Sydney, from military and policing units. Then came the establishment of business and Insurance Company Fire Brigades, which added an appreciation of the economic impacts as well as the physical damage that fire could inflict. The volunteer fire companies also formed around the 1850s to provide a somewhat more altruistic contribution to firefighting. And while there were many well-intended firefighting outfits, what was missing was a coordinated approach and a consistency of equipment and training.
This missing piece was significant as the scourge of fire was having a real impact on the developing city. The loss of major buildings and businesses such as theatres, factories, and even St. Mary's Cathedral and its temporary replacement, meant that the city's development was being disrupted and Sydney could not reach her full potential.
It also meant that it was a topic of political debate. Now, while this would seem to be a subject requiring fairly prompt action and should have been straightforward in being progressed, it would in fact become a political football that was kicked around close to 29 years before the Fire Brigades Bill became law in February of 1884. After many years of public and parliamentary debate, the catalyst of the loss of the Garden Palace Exhibition Building in the Botanic Gardens and many precious items that it contained, combined with the change of government, enabled the Fire Brigades Bill to pass through Parliament. A better coordinated, centrally controlled and better equipped fire brigade resulted with the formation of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade under our first Chief, Superintendent William Bear. What this also enabled was a focus on prevention and fire safety. Superintendent Bear was also appointed as the Inspector of Kerosene, amongst other responsibilities. Subsequently, in 1910, a new act created a statewide organisation, the New South Wales Fire Brigades, which today has become Fire and Rescue New South Wales.
While the story of the emergence of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade is important to note, the history of the organisation really comes to life with the people and what they have done. Each year on Anzac Day, we mark time in another sense. We gather in the old engine bay at the City of Sydney Fire Station, near the Honour Roll to honour all who have served, but especially those from Fire and Rescue New South Wales, including the 316 that went to World War One and of them, the 26 who did not survive. We remember those who served in World War Two and the hundreds of women who formed the Women's Fire Auxiliary during the war years. Our firefighters who served in other conflicts, including those who were conscripted to fight in Vietnam from our service to our modern veterans from Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan. For those coming out of military service, the fire brigades have offered a workplace with camaraderie, common purpose and mission critical focus that they can relate to.
I also want to highlight some of the achievements that our firefighters have accomplished in their everyday duties, from the amazing incidents that they have attended to, the work that they have done in preparing the city, both in the past and currently for future development and growth, to be done in a safe manner that will stand the test of time for decades to come. From large, spectacular fires like the Hale Street, Botany or Buckingham's Department Store fire, to the Braund’s General Store fire in Armidale in 1932 that led to the creation of the Medal for Conspicuous Bravery, and if we think back to Arthur Streeton’s painting of 1894, capturing Fireman's Funeral, where more than 10,000 people gathered in George Street for the funeral of Fireman Brown.
Our regional brigades have a long history of competing to improve their skills and maintain their abilities as firefighters. There is much to be proud of. In 1868, there was an assassination attempt on the visiting Prince Alfred, and it was Firefighter Vile from the Volunteer Fire Company No. 2, who pounced upon the Prince's attacker and saved him from any further harm. As a result, No. 2 Fire Company received royal patronage and a strong association was formed with the visitors and that fire company. When you talk to firefighters about what makes the job good, they will inevitably mention two things, the privilege of helping people at a time when they need it the most, and the friendships and connections they form with their colleagues.
Now, there are also plenty of entertaining stories about things that have been done, and we have been known to have a few characters and larrikins in our ranks who have ensured hijinx and laughs at quieter times. And while these may have provided some relief from the pressures of the job, what really matters are the countless lives that have been saved, the acts of incredible bravery where firefighters protected life and property, the fires that were prevented due to the fire safety measures being required, and the lives saved because of the smoke alarms that our firefighters installed in people's homes. What matters is that the community knows that when the chips are down, it is the firefighters that they can rely on to rapidly help them in their time of need.
What also matters is the care and compassion that our firefighters will show the people at those times. As we mark the passing of time of 140 years, because of our history and combining this with our current work, we are privileged to be one of the oldest and most trusted public institutions in our society. One of the pillars that makes our community such a wonderful place, because our work enables the people of New South Wales to live their lives safely and to thrive, reaching their full potential. Because it is when this happens that we enable our state and our people to make their own history as we progress as a safe, healthy and cohesive society. That is a history worth marking, and that Fire and Rescue New South Wales has played a role in this is something of which we should be very proud.
Thank you for joining us for our annual History Week Keynote Presentation, to watch it in full visit http://www.museumoffire.net/history-week
- Story by Fire and Rescue NSW Commissioner Jeremey Fewtrell
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