HISTORY OF FIRIES

words by: josh mckenzie - mckenzie mcloughlin legal practice

With the dry and warmer months upon us, and there being so many fires blazing away across the state, it is so important that we collectively thank the brave members of the NSW Fire and Rescue, alongside the NSW Rural Fire Service, who tirelessly fight to keep us safe.

In acknowledging our state’s firefighting history, NSW Fire and Rescue certainly has an interesting tale to tell. Understandably, firefighting in NSW wasn’t always as corporate as it is now. By way of example, in the 1820’s, the only form of Fire Brigade in NSW was a military Brigade, consisting of soldiers trained to use firefighting equipment.

In somewhat of an advancement, in 1836 The Australian Insurance Company decided to establish its own Fire Brigade. What followed was a number of other insurance companies following suit, which meant that local volunteers who formed part of each Brigade were provided with equipment by the Insurance Companies, rather than having to source their own.

In 1909, the Fire Brigades Act finally established a statewide approach to firefighting and on 1 January 2011, the NSW Fire Brigades changed its name to Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW). According to its website, “The new name more accurately reflects the wider scope of services offered to the community and proudly symbolises and supports the organisation’s vision for the future.”

Although Fire and Rescue have a part to play in putting fires out, they also have investigative officers who work with the police. According to the Australian Institute of Criminology;

“Bushfire arson, like structural arson, is a strongly patterned activity. These patterns seem to be mainly determined by the interplay between socioeconomic and environmental dynamics. Since the fundamentals of these two factors change slowly, bushfire arson tends to happen at the same time and in the same place every year.”

One challenge that will always remain for investigators, is catching arsonists before they act. Techniques are regularly advancing to make sure this does happen, particularly via the use of camera detection and intelligence gathering.

In addition, penalties for arson are getting tougher. In fact, the Government has just announced that as a further crackdown on dangerous bushfire bugs, the standard non-parole period for convicted arsonists is set to increase from five years to nine years.

On behalf of McKenzie McLoughlin Law, we not only thank our suburban and rural firefighters, but we also take this time to wish all of our readers, clients and colleagues a wonderful holiday season. •