A HISTORY OF BUSHFIRE FIGHTING IN NSW


The history of Bushfire fighting in New South Wales starts in reality very soon after white settlement of Australia began in 1788. As Captain James Cook sailed the barq ENDEAVOUR up the east coast he saw a number of columns of smoke rising skyward. Australian aboriginal already knew how to effectively use fire for cooking, to trap game, for winter warmth and as a weapon. This weapon was quickly used against the white invaders. Grass fires were used to drive the settlers of Sydney Town away, if only temporarily. Many early food crops sewn by new settlers, were lost by fire started by the natives. The problem was so severe the whole colony very nearly starved. Early fires in Sydney Town were mostly fought by convicts or soldiers, however usually fire won the day, but occasionally, spectacular saves were made. Water was always a problem as Australia is by far the driest continent on earth.

During the 19th century there were many attempts to form organized fire fighting organizations. Unfortunately most disbanded within a year or so due to a variety of reasons foremost among them boredom and apathy. By the late 1860s Sydney and a number of larger towns had formed properly constituted volunteer fire brigades many led by the town Mayor or other political aspirant. Usually the office bearers were his close friends or the more wealthy members of the community, provided that they could be persuaded to join. The reasoning being that the dedicated wealthier members were more likely to assist the Brigades financially. Genuine elections were usually not required or avoided.

In 1884 the Metropolitan Fire Brigade was formed and incorporated a number of local volunteer stations however this only covered the densely populated City of Sydney. The country areas still had to look after themselves. Any bushfires which occurred in rural areas were fought by the land owners and what ever local help they could muster. This usually consisted of men and boys with hand beaters and wet sacks and green branches or whatever they could lay their hands on. This situation remained in some areas for many years.

It is generally accepted that the longest surviving properly constituted Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade was formed at Berrigan in the States southwest on 26 November 1900. This brigade is still operational 100 years later. At this point it should be mentioned that the State of New South Wales is served by only 2 fire services. The New South Wales Fire Brigade who serve the cities and all the major country towns, while the New South Wales Bush Fire Brigades are responsible for fire protection of most of the state including all the outer metropolitan areas, small country towns ,villages and rural areas. Today we have around 70,000 volunteers working through 141 Shires or fire protection districts. All except 2 or 3 persons per shire are totally unpaid. In some rural shires all were totallly unpaid. We are the largest total volunteer fire department in the free world.

1939 was a bad year for most Australians, for a number of reasons. On Saturday January 13 in horrendous weather conditions numerous fires occurred in and around the greater Sydney basin. Thirteen people were killed, hundreds of homes and farm buildings were reduced to ash. Over 6 million acres of land were burnt, the number of livestock and pets burned alive is unknown. The worst hit areas were Sutherland, Warringah and Baulkham Hills Shires. At midnight that night the temperature was still 34ºC. At 2pm the next day the temperature was 46ºC at Observatory Hill. In the outer suburbs it was worse due to the hot throat parching winds. Smoke could be seen in New Zealand 2000 kilometers away across the Tasman Sea. The Sydney Morning Herald wrote of one of the many outbreaks "A fire driven with astonishing speed from Windsor to Rouse Hill during Saturday afternoon and ending at Galston. A hot westerly wind threw lumps of lighted bark through the air for miles, the whole district was an inferno."

The devastating bushfires of Christmas 1939 in and around the Blue Mountains, an area of over 1000 square miles,(40 miles west of Sydney) further alerted residents to the dangers they faced. War had been declared on 3 September 1939 and most able bodied men had already rushed to enlist in the armed forces. The desperate fire situation then fell mainly on the shoulders of women, older men and boys. Women who until this critical time had little or no experience with a disaster of this magnitude suffered most. Picture the region, if you will, a series of canyons joined together in a labyrinth that was densely covered with eucalyptus trees. Sheer cliffs rising 800 -1500 ft from the valley floor and almost no roads or tracks to gain access. Firelines up to 90 miles long twisting and turning like a demented dragon. Finally, when a state emergency was declared, aid was sent by Army however in spite of good intentions little was achieved until the fires crested the gorges when the fire fighting started in earnest. There were suggestions in the press that the fires were started by the "Nations enemies" but the reality was that temperatures of 40ºC+, low humidity and hot dry westerly winds were responsible. The loss of human lives, stock and property was horrendous. The cost was estimated at over 1.3 million pounds a staggering amount in those days Local committees again looked seriously at forming emergency assistance groups and further aiding the very few Volunteer Bushfire Brigades which already existed.


The bombing of Pearl Harbour by Japan on the 7 December 1941 and the resultant destruction by fire further heightened peoples fear of enemy attack and the need for properly organized rural fire suppression groups outside the Sydney metropolitan area. By early 1942 many community leaders and Progress Associations had received official letters which stated. "Greetings, The State War Effort Co ordination Committee acting on behalf of the Prime Minister request that a Bush Fire and Emergency Brigade be formed in your area immediately. It is the great danger of fires originating from enemy actions or the result of military actions that prompts this, as under such a circumstance the fires would be undoubtedly more widespread and intensive than most of those in causes such as carelessness."

Equipment was sparse at best. Many "brigades" had nothing at all.

One Bush Fire Brigade inventory of 1943, was:
1 axe,
3 canvas drinking water bags,
3 files,
1 long handled shovel,
2 fern hooks,
3 beaters.

This pitiful issue would obviously be supplemented with what ever could be borrowed, swapped, purloined or acquired "with good intent". This practice is still alive and well in many bushfire areas today. The reality was, most brigades relied almost totally on wet hessian sacks, green branches and leather beaters and, "if they were really flash " a stirrup pump or two! The only form of drip torch they had was a burning branch being dragged through the bush.

Very, few brigades had vehicles, and if they did they were privately owned. If the truck had a water tank it was usually an old steel boiler which was being recycled. In those days of strict rationing a limited number of petrol coupons given to the Captain for distribution as required to cars and trucks carrying water and firefighters. As suitable trucks and water tankers were at best rare many Brigades built or adapted whatever they could lay their hands on. Glenorie Brigade built a large trailer to carry a 4500 litre water tank and pump which could be pulled behind a tractor. While that sort of apparatus was OK on "good" roads but very hard to handle off road on dirt tracks. Hornsbys Dural Brigade had an old Faegoel table top truck and there were plenty of other adaptations elsewhere in the State. The Terry Hills Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade Captain had a table top Ford truck which loaded with an assortment of knapsacks, beaters, men and a hand operated portable siren. A long blast on the siren was given as members homes were neared in the hope the occupant heard the wail and was ready.

Rarely, if ever, was there a purpose built fire shed or station. Usually the gear was left in the corner of some sort of structure that was well known and accessible to all. The only 2 genuine WW2 vintage fire sheds known to the writer were built of materials still clearly marked (in 1970) "Property of the US Army Air Corps." From very early days Bush Fire Brigades became expert at liberating items. One brigade had a large shed made available the only problem was that the roof was 1 foot too low to allow the fire truck entry. No problem, the dirt floor station was dug out to a depth of 1 foot to allow entry. At this critical time almost all volunteer groups began fund raising with a greater urgency than previously. A few including Blaxland Volunteer Brigade in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney tried to levy all local households an amount of 1 Pound per annum. Considering the average weekly wage at that time was only 5 pounds the levy especially large particularly in the middle of a war in what was then a very isolated area. There was also a constant request for financial aid from a large variety of equally deserving organizations. Purpose built fire stations were for the most part not built in most areas until the 1960s. Many country Shires still do not have suitable stations at the start of the 21st Century.

Due to most Bushfire Brigades usually operating in what was then remote or isolated areas the support committee meetings, were often held on the phone. The local post mistress would connect them all to an early form of conference call with each having the chance to speak. This feature was put to good use in emergency situations particularly as the brigades ladies committee were for the most part responsible for support. Feeding a large number of what one lady called a herd of Filthy, smelly and ravenous angels." Large quantities of tea and scones were always popular. The first dedicated canteen vehicle used by Bush Fire Brigades was in fact built for and maintained by the New South Wales Board of Fire Commissioners. It was a 1939 Ford truck fitted with a body built by the NSWFB and at least part paid for by funds raised after the previously terrible 1939 fires. These funds were raised in a variety of uniquely Australian ways. This canteen truck is now resident at the Museum of Fire at Penrith. It, like many other fire vehicles saw over 30 years of service.

By 1954, the big bonus was war surplus vehicles, the market was flooded. Canadian Ford and Chevrolet Blitz 4x4s available in excellent condition for as little as 100 pounds( $200). Many purchased had less than 100 miles on them. For more than 35 years the 4x4 Blitz was regarded as the definitive bushfire fighting vehicle. The best part was that if the brigade had a fire truck and the brigade name was painted on the side and used primarily for brigade purposes, it was exempt from the Motor Traffic Act. This was a major cost saving although the purchase price upkeep and running costs were still the individual brigades responsibility.

These ex army vehicles were fitted with a variety of tanks and pumps. Most tanks as previously mentioned were recycled from other duties while those which were purpose built ranged in size from about 200 liters to 5000 liters however weight was a real problem and many a chassis failed to support optimistic expectations. Pumps were often 2 stroke and of somewhat dubious reliability but during the mid to late 1960s many of the more affluent brigades managed to buy war surplus Coventry Climax Godiva pumps of around 550 (British) gallons per minute. The only problem was these were (with typical British understatement) referred to as "portable".. they weighed 400 kilos.

At this same time Terry Hill Brigades in Warringah Shire began collecting 44 gallon drums, filling them with water and leaving them strategically placed around the major access areas. These were topped up on a regular basis. When required these drums would be rolled aboard a truck and transported to the burning area This practice was later copied by other Brigades in other areas. One former Brigade member lamented the fact that all too often the local young fellows used the drums for target practice in the non fire period. He did however report with delight that on one occasion a richochet struck an offender in the posterior which required surgery and some pointed questions from the local policeman. Up until 1940s there was little if any formal legislation however in 1949 the Bush Fires Act was introduced. In effect all it really did was to formalize what was more or less accepted practice. The big advantage the Act provided was that fire rules and regulations were enforceable at law with cash penalties for offenders.

In the early 1950s a number of Brigades had returned to a degree of apathy after the trauma of the 2nd World War. Most were just enjoying the peace. There had been no major fires in the Blue Mountains, still regarded as the most dangerous part of the State and a number of Brigades closed and handed their assets, and liabilities over to local Progress Associations etc. Some of the precious fire trucks were even offered for sale as "unnecessary due to peace" Many people and special interest groups would live to regret their earlier haste.

On 2 December 1957 huge bushfires would cause havoc in the isolated Blue Mountains communities with catastrophic losses. Several towns including Leura were almost totally destroyed. Andy Mills, a young man at the time vividly remembers. "My dad fought that fire and from memory, a few others, further down the mountains that summer. Although it's a little dim at this stage, I remember being sent home from school that afternoon, and being evacuated from our house a short time later as the trees in the street exploded into flames behind us." It's not a scene that one easily forgets. Later that day we were moving from house to house in Leura before being evacuated to Katoomba Town Hall, before being returned to our house later that night. The house was still standing. Dad had done a great job, although the garage and fences had been destroyed. Many houses in the street were gone, and, to our great delight, so was the school." Few scars remain of that terrible time however the site of the Chateau Napier Hotel lost that day still remains empty over 40 years later.

Calls were received for a few community leaders who had been behind the sale of fire vehicles to be tarred and feathered. That was not, I am assured, an idle comment. The local victims wanted retribution. One parish priest had the hardest job of his life in finally managing to stop a local parishioner from actually murdering a man, he blamed for the loss of all his possessions. Many brigades and locals had to start again from nothing. To make matters worse the New South Wales (Metropolitan) Brigades officers were put in charge of any region which had reticulated water. That was usually anywhere up to a mile east and west of the main western railway line. The local residents generally resented the uniformed "City" firefighter coming in and taking control and they made no secret of it.

At this time any alarms were usually raised by telephone but this was obviously only effective if there was a person on both ends. Answering machines were still a distant hope and pagers did not generally become available even to the more affluent Brigades until about 1990. One of the great benefits was the availability of war surplus air raid sirens. These sirens became both a blessing and bane to the local residents depending on ones point of view. While they were effective particularly when fitted to a fire shed roof or the top of a drying pole they were also extremely efficient in waking sleeping children much to the displeasure of ladies of the house. These sirens were responsible for improving turn out times by a huge amount. One tragic side effect was a recent new arrival from Europe heard the former air raid siren, thinking the worst, paniced, ran onto the road and was killed by a farm truck responding to the siren. The dead woman's husband had just joined the brigade. To make matters worse there were no 2 way radios or walkie talkies available to help summon assistance until 1965, more than ten years after this tragedy.

A "well equipped" Bushfire Brigade inventory of the late 1950s and early
1960s might be:

1 Chevrolet 4x4 circa 1942 fire truck with 600 gall tank
1 Pump 2 stroke capacity 75 galls per minute
250 feet -1" black rubber hose
3 lengths 1" canvas hose (War Surplus)
20 Knapsacks
4 Axes
4 Shovels
10 Beaters of various types
11 Fire rakes (Mcleod Tools)
1 First Aid Kit
2 Water Bags (canvas)
4 Stirrup pumps
4 Brush Hooks
8 Buckets
2 Stand Pipes
3 Water Tanks 200 gall
1 Hurricane Lamp

Not only were trucks available but a large quantity of other gear such as shovels, rakes kitchen gear, personal water bottle, packs, boots and a host of other war surplus equipment which was of use to Bushfire Brigades who were still fighting another war. Even up to the 1980s it was not unusual to find a representative of a Bushfire Brigade bidding at government auction for something of value to them. On more than one occasion a sympathetic auctioneer has bent the rules to assist the local brigade get a prized item at a more suitable price. The auctioneers comment was usually "Well its only going from one government agency to another". The big benefit was that all military equipment was built to very strict standards of strength and durability. It would need to be.

Bush Fire Brigade uniforms were non existent until the late 1960s . Prior to this members were encouraged to wear full length cotton shirts, cotton long trousers or overalls and a wide brimmed hat, all of low combustible material. Many firefighters wore old military uniforms and felt slouch hats as that style of clothing was plentiful and hard wearing. At this time the only identification brigade office bearers were issued with was an oval metal badge which stated the members rank and authority.

About this time annual elections were becoming common practice throughout the State. Mostly they were genuinely run although the railroading of unwilling volunteers into sometimes thankless positions was (and still is) quite common. This practice was not confined to Australia however.

By the early 1970s the Bush Fire Council, a State Government Department had advised that full one piece cotton overalls was the accepted dress, the cost usually being covered by the wearer. Later in many cases these overalls plus boots and helmets, were supplied depending on the financial state of each individual brigade. In most cases the brigades name was stenciled or embroidered on the back of the overalls in red . The colour of the overalls varied from white to yellow depending on the Shire (County) preferences. Blue Mountains Shire wore yellow while Baulkham Hills and Hornsby Shires wore white. While white soiled more quickly, it was more visible at night and reflected heat better by day.

The New South Wales Bush Fire Brigades colour was standardized to yellow in 1987. Helmets, made in Canada, were coloured to depict the role or rank of the wearer. Firefighters wore white, Deputy Captains wore white with a red stripe, Senior Deputy Captains wore red with a white stripe, Captains wore all red and Fire Control Officers wore Orange. First Aid Officers wore red crosses similar to army medics. Today recruits might wear a blue helmet. There had been at one stage a move to make the steel helmets of the British and Commonwealth armies standard headwear for bushfire fighting. However this was idea was dropped due to the weight and steel construction making the idea impractical.

Dress uniforms were non existent until about the mid 1980s when some Sydney shires decided to design their own. There were several different varieties, most of which features pale blue shirts and dark blue trousers. The most controversial item was the insignia worn. Some groups used patches stating the wearers position or rank while another used the American ranking. The most controversial, at the time, was Sutherland Shire who used the British rank system. However as time went on, it was this concept which was adopted on a State wide basis.

Formal training for bushfire fighters initially did not exist. All training and experience was gained on the job and the more jobs attended the better trained one became. A number of Brigades did from time to time attempt quality training programs with various degrees of success and attendences. Much of the enthusiasm depended on the regions perceived risk factor. It was not until the mid 1980s that a quality and formal training programme became widely supported. While the Bush Fire Council produced a large number of colourful and well presented training nodules there was some initial resistance. A decree stating that continued service in Bush Fire Brigades was dependent on passing the required training. Unfortunately the new regulations saw the departure of a number of old hands who for a number of reasons, declined to participate. No matter how senior or how many years of service one had, everybody was expected to train and qualify.

Funding for Bush Fire Brigades has always been a problem. Initially there was no funding at all. Brigades were forced to become very inventive at fund raising. One of the most popular in country areas, was and still, is the "Chook Raffle" in the local pub usually on a Friday night. Large sums of money have been raised over a period of years to assist volunteer brigades. Another fund raising scheme has been the recovery of total loss wrecks abandoned by insurance companies, which are then parted out for resale. Many times barbecues, jumble sales and anything else which would "turn a quid "(pound note)" was used. These money making schemes are obviously not restricted to Australia. Officially funding at that time was 40% from Bush Fire Council, 40 % from Shire Council and the remaining 20% obtained using one of the previous "assistance" schemes.

The first fire shoulder patches appeared about 1975 when the Blue Mountains (Shire) Volunteer Bush Fire Brigades added a small piece of white cloth about 3cms by 4 cms with a stenciled green and red burning bush emblem. The first properly produced and manufactured patch was produced by Bradmill in the mid 1970s. It was 9 cms by 6 cm and featured the official emblem and the legend New South Wales Bush Fire Brigades. Unfortunately the quality was very poor and only survived about twenty washes before being a limp piece of shredded rag. It is now very rare to find one in mint condition. The first of the modern style shoulder patches was issued in 1980 and was eagerly sought by firefighters wishing to dispense with the ragged look. An interesting side note is that since 1979 the design of the official patch changed very slightly some 15 times. Great for collectors but a source of amusement to others. The center piece however showing the burning bush remained much the same.

By the mid 1970s almost all the WW2 Ford and Chevy 4x4 Blitzwagons had long since passed their use by dates and the movement was faced with a dilemma regarding replacement vehicles. It is interesting to note that at this stage World War 2 Studebaker 6x6s were starting to reach the market place after being held in packing cases in Australian Army warehouses through the era of the Vietnam War. Many were purchased at auction for about $850 by Bush Fire Brigades for work in the more mountainous regions. With the generous assistance of Trade and Technical Colleges a small unattractive 500 gallon tank and lighter body was fitted. The pump was lighter and more compact Davey Tankermaster of about 400 liters per minute. In areas where 4x4 trucks were not required and conventional 2 wheel drive suffice the problem of finding a suitable truck was not so acute. Often the local farmer or business man would "sell" his discarded machine to the local bush fire brigade. Some remarkable rigs of unique and indefinite parentage were the result. Many of these machines saw over 30 years of faithful service.

Each Shire was still basically responsible for supplying its own trucks and little was available. British RLHC model Bedfords 4x4s were in use with the State Electricity Commission but these were grossly under powered gasoline engines and were produced in very limited numbers. Many brigades were forced to forage for anything that could be adapted to do the job. This led to some remarkable rigs many of which gave credence to the adage. "Necessity may have been the mother of invention, but bush fire brigades were the Father!"

Pumps were by now mainly the fore mentioned Coventry Climax Godivas of 550 gpm and the odd Hale, Darley and a large number of Davey Tankermasters. Much of the equipment had been replaced or supplemented with chain saws and other modern assistances. The big feature was that all trucks now had some form of two ways radio that worked! (unlike the old valve sets.)

By 1980 many of the old practices and antiquated equipment was being replaced and thanks to the Australian Army selling off large quantities of its Vietnam era trucks and other war surplus goods. A number of brigades were able to make some spectacular purchases. Most of the more affluent brigades now used British built Bedford 4x4s type MFR or earlier RLHC models or ex Australian Army International Harvester 4x4 Mk3. Petrol (gasoline) engined rigs still ruled although many were now fitted with electric fuel pumps. Sutherland Shire managed to aquire a number of Australian Army propotype experimental trucks of various sizes which served the local community well for a number of years. Fuel vaporization during bushfire fighting operations was a major problem. To illustrate the lengths some brigades went to, one brigade well known to the author considered their truck was far too slow. Since their "patch' contained a main highway which infamous for major accidents the Brigade took some dramatic steps. Their 2 wheel drive International was fitted with a 383 cu in V8, a modified gearbox and an improved braking system among other "adjustments". The result was a fire truck capable of well over 100 mph that was perfectly stable and safe with a full crew and carried 4000 litres of water plus foam gear. The truck and the former racing driver/ mechanic were able to make some spectacular saves. The rig was once clocked at 91 mph responding to a house alight. The name of the Brigade and the driver are omitted to protect the guilty.

In 1980 the average age of bushfire vehicles in the state was 28.3 years, there would need to be an improvement. In 1983 the State government insurance contractor stated they would no longer cover World War 2 vintage fire vehicles. The remaining few brigades still using them were then forced to seek replacements. Most of these replacements came from the more affluent brigades which were found on the outskirts of Sydney, the State Capital, who in turn purchased more modern, but usually second hand equipment. Several Sydney shires have in spite of the above kept older machines for historic purposes and other public awareness campains. Baulkham Hills Shire still has in service a 1944 Studebaker 6x6 and a 1959 Land Rover factory built firefighter although the latter is purely for parades etc. Belrose Bushfire Brigade still has preserved a 1942 Canadian Blitz which started work as an airforce vehicle then served heroically as a fire tanker for another 35 years.

The tragic deaths of bush firefighters in Sutherland Shire (south of Sydney) on two separate occasions heightened awareness of the problem of vapor lock in petrol (gasoline) engines. Ironically the 3 firefighters lost on the first occasion had 3 months previously restored and donated their Canadian Blitz to the Museum which was to become the Museum of Fire. The resulting Coroners investigation did achieve one giant leap forward by recommending quite correctly, the total removal of petrol engine vehicles from the fire fighting community. It is a sad fact that the families of the firefighters often suffer as much as any home owner who suffers a physical loss by fire. The mental strain on families is immence. In 1983 the 6 year old daughter of a bush firefighter was told at school by a "big girl" that "her daddy would die in the fires". The little girl was so traumatised that she had to be hospitalised and receive specialised help for many years. Her father had to leave the brigade to which he had been devoted, and never became an active firefighter again.

The "diesel engines" only policy again caused a large number of vehicles to be replaced with mainly Japanese Hino and Isuzu 4x4s a number of which were for the first time purchased new. There was still a dramatic shortage of suitable vehicles with several bushfire fighters traveling vast distances at their own expense sometimes to the US and Canada in search of suitable vehicles. Several rigs were privately imported and placed in service. It is worth noting at this point that in 1983 the total budget for fire fighting in one of Sydney's most affluent shires was $380,000 which was to pay 3 full time staff and support 17 stations with a total of 38 trucks and 700 volunteers. In many rural shires the 1983 budget was less than $6000. The annual budget for the same period for the New South Wales (Metropolitan) Fire Brigade was $100 million although $72 million of that was wages. In 1983 the fleet in Baulkham Hills Shire consisted of 13 International 4x4 each 3000 litre tankers, 3 Bedford 4x4 each 4200 litre tankers, 2 Rolls Royce Nubian 6X6 (ex Airport crash tenders), 1 1944 Studebaker 6x6 4000 litre tanker and assorted small 4x4s and ancillary vehicles including a Mini Moke! That Shire was considered very well equipped. Sutherland Shire had obtained a number of specialised prototype trucks originally built for testing by the Australian Army. These were to prove of great benefit as fire trucks, a role they were never intended for. Another interesting and "very useful thing" was the former milkmans truck used by Doonside Brigade. Many country brigades still had nothing but their private trucks and nothing in the Shires budget to assist in case of fires. The Bush Fire Council in Sydney was supplying a limited number of small tank trailers which could be pulled by a car, truck or tractor.

Mutual aid between Shires in the Sydney region has always been available and immediately supplied when required from the earliest days of firefighting. Unlike the United States, there is no official written agreement. Some of the aid requests have had more than an element of humor. After one huge fire on the old Australian Army firing range in Liverpool a bushfire fighter was in the witness box answering councils questions. When asked what steps he took when told of possible high explosives stored nearby, his answer was predictably. "Extremely quick ones Sir"
Another unusual and extremely dirty fire most of Sydneys "bushies" attended was at South Windsor in September 1986. A 25 acre piece of bushland ironically owned by the NSW Fire Brigade had been leased to an individual who had (unknown to the landlord) stored thousands and thousands of old car and truck tyres on site. Most of the tyres were buried under tonnes of soil and somehow managed to catch alight which caused a huge smoke plume which could be smelled 10km and seen over 50 klm away. Bushfire brigade personnel worked alongside NSW Fire Brigade for over 10 days in what was horrendous conditions. One remarkable scene was a NSW Fire Brigade District Officer, now wearing Bushfire Brigade overalls. He had laid his blue woolen trousers and jacket over a fence and was beating them with a jack handle to try and remove some of the 2 cm deep dried clinging stinking mud!

Many of the Sydney region Bushfire Brigades have over the years been asked to supply men and material in the form of mutual aid to other Shires. Some memorable years were:

1900- 1970s: Blue Mountains many and various times
1975-1976: Blue Mountains Katoomba
1978: Mt Tomah, Bells Line of Road, Wentworth Falls
1979: Mittagong, Bundanoon, Canyonleigh, Goulburn
1981: Wentworth
1983: Sutherland
Jan 1985: Cobar, Hillston and Wollemi National Park
March 1985: Doonside, Marsden Park Chemical Fire, Campbelltown,Wedderburn,Appin
Sept 1986: South Windsor
Oct 1988: Shoalhaven
Nov 1988: Gosford
Dec 1989: Sutherland and Hillston
1990: Nyngan - in flood recovery assistance

There have been many many others.

Out of area assistance is sent to Shires which were in desperate trouble due to fire or some other natural disaster. The broad definition of what was called a "State of Emergency' or "Section 41F" of the then Bush Fires Act was. A Shire or Region which is incapable of adequately handling the fire or emergency situation prevailing at that time with only its own resources. That statement is no doubt written in legalistic jargon. The meaning is much the same. In 1989 the author was part of a convoy of 40 trucks and crews which traveled west over 400 miles to aid the Hillston which had had 7 major blazes burning for 8 days due to dry lightning strikes. By the time crews arrived to relieve the exhausted locals all seven fires had joined. The distance around the base of the fire ground was in excess of 110 miles. Thankfully the topography was mainly flat grass lands but criss crossed with 20 foot deep gullies which were almost impossible to see until you were on them, especially at night. We were astounded to learn on arrival that the entire shire of well over 1500 square miles had only 19 knapsacks and 18 McLeod tools. All their trucks were privately owned and there were 6 small 250 gallon tank trailers which were Bushfire Brigade property. The local farmers were very self reliant people. They had too be. When we left to return to Sydney most of the trucks were almost stripped of gear which some how was "forgotten" The gratitude was really embarrassing. I think most of us were kissed by a 6' 7" 150 kg bearded bulldozer driver. An experience I for one, am happy to forget.

It should be remembered that on many occasions Bush Fire Brigades from country regions like Evans, Shoalhaven, Blue Mountains and a host of others have rushed to Sydney to assist "in the big smoke." In some cases they have been operational in suburban Sydney before local neighbouring shires had arrived.

By far the most dangerous unpredictable and generally destructive force which Bushfire Brigades have faced over the years is not flame, or smoke, nor national emergency, but politicians. In almost all Shires (and certainly at State level) there has, at some time, been political interference severe enough to hamper and delay the effective and speedy deployment of fire crews. More than one senior fire officer has resigned or retired early purely due to their meddling becoming more than they (the fire officer) can stand. Many a good man has been lost to the service due to this sorry situation.

By 1990 the average age of the bushfire fleet in New South Wales had dropped from 28.3 years to 9.4 years. A dramatic improvement on the previous 10 years. The bushfire fleets age had little to do with major crisis handled in April that year by Bush Fire Brigades. Floods were causing real problems through Queensland and New South Wales where over 1 million square kilometer's of prime wool, wheat and cattle lands were underwater. Worst of all was Nyngan some 583 klms from Sydney which was normally 173 m above sea level. Now the whole town on the banks of the Bogan River was inundated by a giant inland sea of dirty brown mud and liquid filth some 3 or 4 metres deep. Almost the entire population of 2000 people were evacuated mostly by military helicopters. After the waters receded the locals were allowed back to Nyngan only for brief periods clear out their homes and dump everything in the street. Disease epidemics were expected but thankfullly did not occur. Bushfire brigades were heavily involved in the clean out of almost every house in town. One particular house became infamous, it was putrid!! and that, had nothing to do with the flood. So bad was the situation that the Bushfire and Army personnel where standing by with a giant wrecking machine and drip torches to burn the offending property to the ground. Unfortunately this did not take place. I believe the inhabitants had more than a few problems with the local health inspector... Several years later members of one Brigade were reminising of the Nyngan floods.Their greatest memory was of building levee banks and one very polite local said "Thank you" every time he handled each of the thousands of sandbags.

New Years Day 1994 was to herald the start of the greatest fire emergency this continent had ever seen. New South Wales was a war zone. The enemy was fire. For 16 days every firefighter in every Shire of New South Wales and many from interstate were heavily involved fighting "The Big One." A sign on the front of Kenthurst station at one stage read "BUSH ALIGHT BLOODY EVERYWHERE." In that period a disaster of unimaginable proportions gripped the State like a red hot vice. This "Big One' was not a single blaze but a huge number of fires burning along almost the entire eastern seaboard of about 1300 kilometers and inland about 300 kilometers. At the height there were over 800 major fires burning within the State and over 250 of these were considered out of control. The weather conditions at that time were extreme with temperatures of 40ºC+, humidity in the low teens and hot dry westerly winds. In conditions like that fire is only heartbeat away. To further demonstrate the heat the author vividly remembers seeing one guy take a raw egg and fry it to perfection on a shovel which had been left in the sun. Many of the initial fires had been started by dry lightning strike, carelessness, and holiday season campfires However there were a number of cases of arson which unfortunately increased as the scale of the emergency unfolded. At that time the fuel load within the State was at an all time high due to a number of reasons the most significant being that very little hazard reduction work had been carried out due to intense political and largely misguided pressure from the environmental lobby who vehemently objected to what they saw as blatant destruction . The fact that Australian native vegetation is designed to burn, as a means of regeneration, was lost in often heated and sometimes violent acts. A very popular bumper sticker available at that time and seen on a number of cars read:

"THE ONLY TRUE WILDERNESS IS THE SPACE BETWEEN A GREENIES EARS."

Very soon it was realized that the size of dilemma facing firefighters was greater than the entire States fire services could handle and urgent requests for mutual aid were requested from interstate. Massive quantities of materiel, trucks and firefighters began arriving within hours. This allowed many of the grossly overworked local crews to get some badly needed relief. One volunteer fire fighter from the Southern Highlands had been on the fireline defending his own farm for 6 days without sleep and totally refused to leave the fireground.despite the best efforts of his friends and family. Such was his physical and mental state that he had to be "slipped a mickey" by injection before he could be rushed to hospital in a critical condition. Three weeks later he was released, his farm was saved by a crew from South Australia, who when interviewed stated they had traveled 1000 miles and were there "just to help a bit."

At this stage Sydney the state capital with a population of 3 million was cut off from the rest of the State. To add to the problems, Sydney's most sensation oriented TV station sent manufactured pictures of flame behind the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge around the world with the caption "The City of Sydney is in flames". This totally inaccurate and scurrilous picture was picked up by the BBC and shown throughout Europe with the result that the entire Pacific region international telephone system went into overload due to near hysterical calls from overseas regarding loved ones. One call very gratefully received was from a USAF General offering large capacity aircraft for "whatever." His generous offer, and a great many like it from around the world were passed on to the departmental controllers. At that time the only aircraft used for firefighting in NSW were small cropduster type with very little water capacity. Due to the lack of numerous large inland lakes the use of larger water scoop aircraft is impractical.

During this critical time the telephone lines were often jammed with hundreds of well intentioned people calling each day to volunteer as firefighters. None of these were able to be accepted. It was far too late to start training even the most enthusiast of volunteers. One memorable offer of assistance was recieved from a group of new Australian citizens.They had , according to their spokesman been fire fighters in the old country. "We all have burns to prove it " he said. His generous offer was declined. One shire received numerous near frantic calls from a guy begging to get involved that the volunteer phone operator, a retired detective smelled a rat and made a call to his former employer. The enthusiastic caller turned out to be a known arsonist who spent the rest of the fire season and a period thereafter in jail. He was later joined by a number of like minded persons who were also caught. One arsonist was caught red handed by a fire captain who was a former boxer. As the police arrived the culprit ran to the police car in terror after resisting capture. When the emergency was over the losses were unbelievable and tragically 4 lives were lost. Expectations were that over 150 people would perish. Sometimes its nice to be wrong. Other statistics were just as frightening; 185 homes, 5 home units, 10 cars 2 gas stations, 5 factories, 2 stores, 1 church, 3 million acres of land and 7000 klms of fencing all lost. There were also 24,864 persons evacuatuated. It could have been far worse. The Chief Officer of the NSW Bush Fire Service Phil Kopperburg had expected far worse. He was delighted with the result although deeply saddened by the deaths and loudly praised the 100,000 volunteers and professionals involved for their commitment. Sydneys Telegraph Mirror published the names of "20,000 heroes" who had participated in quelling the inferno. One 20 year veteran firefighter was more than miffed to discover his name listed under a local scouting association. Three weeks later a ticker tape parade was held through the streets of downtown Sydney. What a buzz!! The 12000 volunteers who marched felt like conquering war heroes, they were!

Within days of ignition a number of appeals began to assist those who had suffered loss from the fires. 20 million dollars were raised almost overnight and much of this found its way into Bush Fire Brigade funds which allowed the purchase of numerous brand new rigs and the replacement of the more than 7 kilometers of hose lost at that time. The major benefit which came of this time period of acute fire emergency was that the NSW Bush Fire Service was finally seen universally as an efficient, viable emergency fire service and funding was dramatically improved. Trucks that had seen better days were replaced with in some cases brand new Isuzu Mitsubishi and Hino 4x4s with diesel engines 4000 liter tanks and a large percentage even had air conditioning.

Many of the replaced trucks from Sydney bushfire brigades saw many useful years of further service in country areas. Some of the improvements in both bushfire trucks, tactics and equipment has come from organizations like the highly efficient California Department of Forestry and the Los Angeles County Fire Dept which over the mid 1990s received a variety of visitors from Australia. Much valuable information was gained from both sides of the equator.

In September 1997 the Rural Fires Act was proclaimed in New South Wales which superseded the outdated and in some cases now irrelevant 1949 Act. This total overhaul of the bushfire fighting "system" was long overdue but hastened by the shortcomings (real and perceived ) of the 1994 disaster. To the credit of those formulating the new organization they successfully resisted the urge to throw out "the baby with the bath water" which is often the case. Interestingly the new organization chose to retain the original burning bush patch with only the words Rural Fire Service substituted. The main feature of the newly formed NSW Rural Fires Service was a direct chain of command from the Commissioner who has almost universal support and State appointed, down to the most junior firefighter in the field. There was also a strong emphasis on ecology and sustainable development. For the first time ever Bushfire fighters felt they were part of a very large organization rather than a small outpost fending for themselves. This feeling was more prevalent in country areas where mutual aid was always harder to come by. Another first was that a realistic and operational budget was now available which allowed the forming of full time manned control centers and the purchase of state of the art equipment. Anumber of former volunteer staff are now being employed on a full time basis to develop and enhance the new organization. State of the art computerization of many of the RFS functions has increased the capacity to accurately predict a large variety of fire scenarios. Like any battle, forward planning and good intelligence is what wins the fight..

Copyright

NP ANLEY