Will Lee has served 56 years with the NSW Rural Fire Service, which he began after helping fight a major fire in the northern Illawarra in 1968. He joined the Austinmer Bushfire Brigade in 1970 and went on to hold several leadership roles, including Group Captain. He was recognised with a National Medal with a fourth clasp at a recent ceremony, where his daughter Belinda Lee also received a 40-year Long Service Medal. Will now focuses on training young firefighters. He says the job of an old firefighter is to teach young firefighters to become old firefighters.
Firefighters from Narara Rural Fire Service were called to a truck fire on Mangrove Road, Somersby, on Saturday night, October 24. On arrival, crews found a single-cab truck fully involved in flames.
Illabo RFS volunteer Tom Norman has completed a 226 km Ironman in Port Macquarie with no prior training. He said he wanted to show that anyone can join the Rural Fire Service. His family has volunteered for the service since 1909, and his grandparents were still responding to callouts until recently. Norman said the race took him over 16 hours, with the bike leg proving the hardest. He hopes his effort will encourage more young people to volunteer.
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The Pindimar Tea Gardens Rural Fire Service brigade formed in 1997 when the Rural Fire Service became a quasi-government organisation. The brigade is now raising money to refurbish the Tea Gardens station, with plans needing approval from the Rural Fire Service and MidCoast Council. Original member Betty Economos recalls that a community meeting after a fire led to the founding of a volunteer bush fire service. Volunteers raised funds locally, and a fire shed was built by volunteer labour. Later, state government funding began, though recruiting volunteers remained difficult.
Pottinger Energy Park has given $40,000 to the NSW Rural Fire Service's MIA and Mid Murray districts to buy equipment before the coming fire season. The funding will pay for e-flares, thermal imaging cameras, portable fridges and radios for local volunteers. The support reaches brigades across the MIA and Mid Murray districts, including Hay, Carrathool and Murrumbidgee. The donation followed a pre-season meeting in Hay between the energy park's community team and brigade captains, who discussed their priorities. The park is being developed by Someva and AGL.
NSW Parliament has passed legislation that will move ownership of more than 6,000 Rural Fire Service firefighting and support vehicles from councils to the RFS. The change takes effect from 1 July 2027. The government says a $470 million investment over ten years will improve fleet reliability and safety. This includes up to eight regional maintenance hubs. Local Government NSW welcomed the reform, which removes the vehicles from council budgets.
Ownership of more than 6000 fire trucks in New South Wales is moving from local councils to the Rural Fire Service under new state legislation. The change takes effect from July 1 next year. The government is spending $470 million on the reforms, including more than $29 million over two years to set up up to eight regional maintenance hubs. Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib called it a historic reform. Country Mayors Association chairman Rick Firman said member councils welcomed the removal of the fleet from their books.
The Gibbins family plans to sell the block of land on the Bruxner Highway at Mummulgum that holds the local rural fire shed. The shed sits on a handshake agreement made about forty years ago, with no lease or written paperwork. Kyogle Council owns the shed and its contents, while the family owns the land and pays rates. Jamie Gibbins has asked the council to consider buying the land, and the council says it will seek a valuation and consider all options.
A recent visit to Berowra, home to the region's Rural Fire Service command centre, gave the opportunity to speak with District Manager Dan Meijer about local bushfire history. Meijer pointed to the 2002 Glenorie fire, which burned through Marramarra National Park. He said that fire was eventually brought under control. He also explained how the path of a large bushfire can be anticipated with a fair degree of accuracy. A video accompanying the piece offers a fuller account of his remarks.
Hills Shire Council and the NSW Rural Fire Service have partnered to deliver the free Four Weeks to Fire Ready program. Each week covers a step, from discussing family plans and preparing homes to understanding fire danger ratings and finding reliable information. A Community Preparedness Survey gives participants a personalised score and suggested actions. Mayor Michelle Byrne says preparation is especially important this season, as forecasts point to hotter and drier conditions that can raise bush fire risk.
