Establishing a Brigade in Dee Why
The expansion of the Warringah Fire District in 1923 saw the suburb of Dee Why brought under the protection of the Fire Brigades Act. Recommendations were put forward for the establishment of a brigade with a strength of two permanent and six partially paid firefighters. This accounted for the number of surrounding fire stations that could provide aid during an incident, and the prevalence of weatherboard houses in the area.
A site on Fish Road (now known as Fisher Road) was purchased by the Board of Fire Commissioners of NSW (BoFC) in February 1924 for the purpose of constructing a fire station. With a site acquired, the BoFC turned its attention to finding a suitable premises to serve as a temporary station. In the meantime, attempts were made at securing leases for cottages near the intended site, however, this would prove difficult due to a lack of housing available in the area. A cottage on McIntosh Road was secured in May 1924 with First Class Firefighter C.D. Franks transferred from No. 4 Station Darlinghust to serve as the Officer in Charge at the newly assigned No. 69 Station Dee Why.
Designs for the fire station were completed by June 1924, with invitations for tenders being advertised in the local newspapers. B.G. Nicholas was employed to carry out the construction of the building. Work commenced in July 1924, with the official opening taking place on 27 November 1924. The station was officially opened by the President of the BoFC E.B. Harkness in conjunction with other members of the BoFC, Warringah Shire Council, and the general public. The fire station featured two storeys and was originally intended to accommodate one married man, as well as a single man. The building also contained an engine house for a light motor engine, and a recreation room.
Over the years, Dee Why Fire Station has undergone a number of alterations to its station building. A new side entrance was constructed to allow greater ease when driving the engine into the station in 1959, and major renovations were carried out on the building in 2005 and completed by 2008. These alterations included the extension of the engine bay by lowering the floor to accommodate the increasing size of modern fire appliances.
Dee Why continues to be one of the busiest stations in the zone. The brigade attended a total of 1,456 incidents over the 2023 – 2024 period. Of these incidents 125 were fire related calls and 1,331 other responses such as rescues.
Historic Fleet List
Year | Make/Model | Motor Engine Number | Type |
1924 | Garford 15 | 147 | Pumper |
1934 | Dennis 250/400 ohv | 106 | Pumper |
1939 | Dennis Ace | 258 | Pumper |
1949 | Dennis Light 4 | 046 | Pumper |
1956 | Commer TB355 Mk 3A | 281 | Pumper |
1961 | Ford Thames | 319 | Pumper |
1971 | Dennis D-600 Mk 2 | 441 | Pumper |
1980 | International 1710B | 613 | Pumper |
1985 | International 1950C | 108 | Aerial Pumper |
2001 | Mack MCR-492RTFA | 110 | Aerial Pumper |
2003 | Scania 94D-98A-310 | 341 | Pumper |
2009 | Scania P310 | 375 | Pumper |
- Story by Museum of Fire Heritage Team
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