BACK                                                                                                                HOME                                                  FIRE BRIGADES IN BROKEN HILL 1887 - Broken Hill Fire Brigade was established as a volunteer organisation o  15 men under the captaincy of Robert Fullarton.                                 The first fire station faced Argent Street on a site that was later to be occupied by the Town Hall.                                                       The equipment of the Station consisted of a small six - man Currical engine of about 50 - gallons a minute capacity and 300 feet of hose.                            1891 - Broken Hill Municipal Council erected the Central Fire Brigade Station in Blende Street (now the Charles Rasp Library).  Due to the devastating fire in 1888, public subscriptions raised and purchased an 18 man operated manual fire delivering 120 Gallons Per Minutes.                                                                                                                 Up to 1892 the Brigade was dependant for water supply on private tanks Storage. 1893 - South Broken Hill Auxiliary Fire Brigade formed with 8 volunteers.  Equipment - a Currie engine (manual), standpipe, 500 foot hose.                   1894 - Broken Hill Fire Brigade Board formed.                                   1910 - Fire Station at Railwaytown,closed in 1921.Situated in Wills Street.     1910 - Board of Fire Commissioners took over.                                   1914 - Street fire alarms were first installed in the city.                                                        1915 - First motorised unit,Willys-Rees Roturbo,was installed - no 110.              1919 -  August saw a second motor at Central, No 85, a Simon Commer 300 - 400  gallons a minute.                                                                                                                      1923 - Broken Hill had 25 Street alarms and 10 telephones alarms.                                            1927 - First Dennis pumper installed,600gallons a minute.                                                1947 - District Officers withdrawn.                                                                                      1962 - The wish of the City Council to convert the First Brigade; Central Station to a modern library behind the Town Hall resulted in the board of Fire Commissioners building a new Fire Station opposite the old site in 1962.                                                                                                                                             SHORT HISTORY OF THE BRASS FIRE HELMET The Brass Helmet as was worn by members of the New South Wales Fire Brigade,  was adopted in this state in the 1880's by the Metropolitan Fire Brigade Board, and was a replica of the helmet worn by the London Metropolitan Fire Brigade.   Captain Eyre, M. Shaw, C. B., Chief Officer of the London Metropolitan adopted the helmet from that worn by the French Dragons, but improved upon the design after having visited many fire services throughout the world, and examining the merit and defects of nearly all of the helmets in existence.  This took place in the 1870's.    The principle points in the design of the helmet are that, the front peak shades the eyes without interfering with the sight; the skirt or curved section at the back protects the neck from molten metal, boiling water etc. the comb is so constructed to withstand a very heavy blow; the projecting end of the comb and the front peak are so designed that, when a fireman falls forward, they both strike the ground before any part of his face touches it. The holes in the front and side of the comb provide ventilation.  The Skull cap inside the helmet constructed of leather, keeps the metal from touching the head and also cushions heavy blows. The brass helmet is made in several parts so that, if an accident occurred, the effect part could be replaced with minimum of time and expense.  All parts are either screwed or riveted; solder is not used as  extremes of temperature sometimes experienced could cause the solder to melt, and render the helmet useless.                                                                    PHOTOGRAPHS NEXT PAGE.