Welcome to the Yarramundi Rural Fire Brigade

Yarramundi Rural Fire Brigade was officially formed on 5 October 1962.

• History of the Yarramundi Brigade 1962-1969 .

  September 30th 1962 receipt of £10-10- donation from Castlereagh Brigade.
  5th October 1962 the inaugural meeting of the Yarramundi BFB was convened at the home of Mr & Mrs Ron Clemson. (now 249 Springwood Rd.) 19 residents, Mr McKenzie (President Colo Shire), and Mr Burgess (District Fire Officer) were present. The meeting resolved to form a brigade, elected first officers and wrote to Council formally requesting formation and that the proposal to form Brigade be forwarded to Bush Fire Committee in Sydney.
  October 8th Letter to Colo Shire Council from Brigade requesting Brigade be formed.
  October 19th 1962, Letter from Colo Shire Council appointing Captains & Deputies.
  November 11th 1962 Meeting: 11 present, Letter appointing Captain & Deputies received, some equipment had been provided and a working bee to check & repair them was to be held. In the event that a Fire Tender was needed the Castlereagh unit could be used.
  December 7th Meeting : 10 present. Shire Council confirmed Metes & Bounds of Brigade area, YBFB Stencil to "Brand" equipment was being prepared.
  January 4th 1963 Meeting: 21 present. Council outlined guidelines for monthly inspection of Fire Fighting Gear. Equipment Officer Resigned. Meeting considered buying rakes, meeting agreed to wait till council supplied them.
  April 5th 1963 Meeting: Requested equipment from Council- 1 trailer to carry a 350gallon water tank (donated), fittings & pipe, pump, hose & nozzle, 12 rakes, 6 knapsacks, First Aid Kit including Stretcher & Blanket. 1963 a trailer with a 350 gal tank was built up as fire fighting unit, to be towed behind tractors.
  August 1964 Captain reported that Council had obtained Yarramundi's 1st Vehicle, it was a 1954 2 ton Bedford 2 Wheel drive with the 350 gal tank off the trailer fitted. The tanker appears to have been in use during the 64/65 Fire Season. It was stationed in a Slab Hut on Stan Higgs Property (Now 585 Springwood Road). This slab hut remained the Brigade Shed until 1977 when the first part of the Yarramundi Station was constructed. The hut burnt to the ground during the January 1994 Fires.
  28 October 1968 , the Brigade helps in the major fires in North Springwood and Yarramundi Areas. Resulting from these fires we see a request to council for provision of 1 red helmet, 6 pairs of overalls. The Minutes of Feb 12th 1969 show that council had written indicating that no helmets or overalls could be provided. The Brigade then started to source their own.

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  History 1970-1979
  9 Feb 1976 Minutes show request to Council for 1 Shed, 1 tender, 6 knapsacks, 10 sets of knapsack straps, handles for shovels and axes, 1 Jerry can and 20 overalls. At this meeting the tender was reported to be in such poor condition that the members moved to have the unit driven to Motor Transport at Richmond so they could inspect it.
  Late 1977 Stage one of Yarramundi Bush Fire Shed is Built. First Brigade meeting held in shed on 20/2/78. Minutes read that the tender is again unserviceable (repairs would cost at least $300 - vehicle had been off the road over 6 weeks) and that Grose Vale are on standby if needed for fires in our area.
  10 Oct 1978 (AGM) Mr Bill Roger FCO unofficially presented the new Tender - a 1971 International 1610, 2 Wheel Drive, (ex Telecom) with 9HP pump and 500gal tank. Petrol motor on both tanker & pump. It was operational by end of October.

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  History 1980-1989
  1984 Basic Training of Fire Brigade Members formalised.
  AGM 1 Jun 1987 Request for 4WD and extension to shed were raised.
  1988 First 4WD Tanker "International" 1640 with 500gal Tank.
  Late 1989 Second Bay was constructed on the Station. Brigade involved in the provision of the floor, and labour for laying of it. Council provided for the construction of the extension. New Roofline as previous Flat Roof was not high enough.

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  History 1990-1999
  Early 1991 Turramurra Storm Damage. The Brigade put in a significant commitment to helping clear trees and debris from many of the thousands of homes affected by this massive storm. Yarramundi spent over 5 days in that area.
  Mid November 1991 Isuzu FSS Tanker with CFA Tray replaces Inter. 4WD, 500 gal Fibreglass Tank, petrol pump motor, diesel truck motor.
  January 8th 1994. Bells Range fire struck Yarramundi at 1801hrs. Of 38sq km area within Yarramundi BFB area, 34 sq km are burnt out. Damage totals over $1,000,000 but no homes are lost. Over 2000 manhours of direct firefighting effort within Yarramundi was evident during those two-three days. The Brigade also saw substantial service in other areas of Hawkesbury, as well as committing members to STARG Commitments at Grafton.
  1995 June/July refurbish Isuzu FSS Tanker - removal of CFA Tray and installation of Crew Cab and standard BFS Cat 2 Tray. Tanker now 10.5 tonne GVM, Pump powered by Diesel motor.
  June 1995 Commenced the extension of the Station (doubling of size) - Concrete Slab laid.
  Late 1995. Received a Toyota Landcruiser 4WD. Fitted with Petrol Pump on Truck & pump, 100 gal tank.
  Late 1996. Toyota Landcruiser refurbished as Tank deteriorated, New tank 80 gal, and vehicle re-plumbed and painted. 1996 Extension to Station commenced in earnest in June 1996, completed in early 1997. Brigade had raised over $15,000 towards this project, which had been costed at $30,000 prior to commencement. The difference was made up by the labour of Brigade members, and the donations / discounts offered by many, including BBC Hardware, P&S Reid Builders, K&M Bailey Builders, B&D Australia.....
  27th March 1997 Replacement of FSS Isuzu with FTS 700 Tanker, 12.5 tonne GVM, 3000 ltr tank, Diesel powered tanker & pump.
  3rd April 1997 Yarramundi Brigade competes in Rural Fire service Challenge at Royal Easter Show against Cobar, qualify for Final on Saturday night 5th April, and run second to Composite team from Riverina Region.
  1 Sep 1997 NSW Rural Fires Act 1997 is enacted. Yarramundi Bush Fire Brigade, and it members become a part of the NSW Rural Fire Service. Brigade changes name to Yarramundi Rural Fire Brigade.
  11 Oct 1997 Station officially opened (note that there is no record of the Station ever being "Opened" before, so this extension opening should also be considered the official opening of the Shed/Station). Celebrating the 35th Anniversary of the Brigade.
  November 1997 through January 1998 The Hawkesbury undergoes the longest bushfire "State of Emergency" in NSW History. 40 Days, with vast areas of the Hawkesbury City through its northern sections that continued to burn uncontained for days on end. These fires were started by hundreds of "dry" lightning strikes, with almost 50 different fires joining together over this period.
  August 1998 The Yarramundi Brigade assumes responsibility for fires in parts of Agnes Banks, the Yarramundi Paddocks, and the properties off Crowleys and Yarramundi lanes.
  April 1999, East Sydney Hailstorm. The eastern parts of Sydney were struck by a massive Hailstorm in April 1999. The Yarramundi Brigade, along with many Hawkesbury Units were in attendance at "Tarpaulin" work for over 13 days. East Sydney was covered in Blue & Green for months.

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  History 2000-2009
  October 2002 was the 40th anniversary of the Yarramundi Brigade. The Brigade celebrated the occassion by hosting a dinner which was attended by past and present members. October saw an early start to the fire season with it being declared on 1st Oct 2002. The Brigade was on alert almost from the word go attending to fires in St Albans and Yarramundi being threatened by the Mt Hay fire from Sat 19 Oct for two weeks.

  19 Oct 2002. Saturday's anxious afternoon saw 15 tankers come to assist Yarramundi.

  22 Oct 2002. After three community meetings conducted by the RFS there is still an air of uncertainty in the community. We are assured that it may come, but when?


 

November 2002 saw the brigade attend fires at Elim Camp and Bala Range.

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Brigade Contacts

If you need to contact the Brigade you may phone the Fire Station on 4776 1575. This number will divert to a private home where one of the Brigade Members will answer, or you may come to the Fire Station any Monday evening from 7.30pm to 9.30pm, or afternoon of the second Saturday of the month. We are looking for new members, roles include Firefighting, administration, catering and communications.

Captain - Ed Cameron.

 

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