Mount Wilson

and Mount Irvine

Details

Last Updated: 11 January 2017

Administration

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Field Leadership Team 

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Community Engagement Officer & Team

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Community Engagement Street Coordinators   -   Area 1a & 1b - Mt Irvine (South & North),     Area 2 - Wynnes Rocks Rd,     Area 3 - The Avenue, Queens Ave, Wyndham Ave, & Hay Lane,     Area 4 - Waterfall Rd, The Avenue, Church Lane,     Area 5 - Mt Wilson East (Davies, Galwey, Hillcrest, Stephen, Shadforth, Mt Irvine Rd),     Area 6 - Farrer Road (West & East) & Smiths Rd

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Catering Team

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Equipment & Property Maintenance Team

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Fire Trails Maintenance Officers

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Water Resources Project Manager

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Training Team

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Hazard Reduction Coordinator

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Details

Last Updated: 07 December 2016

NSW Rural Fire Service

The NSW Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) is the world's largest volunteer fire service. Our members provide fire and emergency services to approximately 95 percent of NSW. NSW RFS members attend a range of incidents and activities.

Blue Mountains - NSW Rural Fire Service

The Blue Mountains is a unique world heritage area and also one of the most bush fire prone areas in the World. The population across the district is 75,000 people who live in, or in the vicinity of 27 towns and villages across the Mountains. The local government area covers 143,000 hectares of land in the Greater Sydney Region. About 70 percent of the area is incorporated into the World Heritage Blue Mountains National Park, with approximately 11 percent of the total land area in private ownership.

Blue Mountains Brigades - NSW Rural Fire Service

Click on the brigade names listed to see their contact details.

Publications and documents - NSW Rural Fire Service

The NSW Rural Fire Service has a series of publications which are of interest to residents of Mt Wilson and Mt Irvine.

Details

Last Updated: 30 November 2016

Between  November 2003 and February 2008, the Mt Wilson / Mt Irvine Rural Fire Brigade published a regular newsletter.
After February 2008, the RFS newsletter was incorporated into the Mt Wilson Progress Association newsletter. 

pdf RFS February 2008 (718 KB)

pdf RFS November 2007 (197 KB)

pdf RFS October 2007 (215 KB)

pdf RFS August 2007 (186 KB)

pdf RFS April 2007 (377 KB)

pdf RFS February 2007 (304 KB)

pdf RFS December 2006 (175 KB)

pdf RFS November 2006 (1.52 MB)

pdf RFS September 2006 (1.56 MB)

pdf RFS May 2006 (2.00 MB)

pdf RFS December 2005 (492 KB)

pdf RFS May 2005 (707 KB)

pdf RFS February 2005 (1.53 MB)

pdf RFS November 2004 (1.72 MB)

pdf RFS July 2004 (961 KB)

pdf RFS November 2003 (603 KB)

Details

Last Updated: 05 June 2018

The contact details for the Mt Wilson/Mt Irvine Rural Fire Brigade are listed below:

Mt Wilson/Mt Irvine Rural Fire Brigade

47 The Avenue

MT WILSON   NSW   2786

Attn. The Secretary

Telephone:  (02) 4756 2040 

Facsimile:   (02) 4756 2090

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Details

Last Updated: 25 January 2022

Large Map of our Brigade District

Mt Wilson / Mt Irvine Rural Fire Brigade is in the West Sector of the Blue Mountains District of the NSW Rural Fire Service and serves the villages of Mount Wilson and Mount Irvine and surrounding areas, which includes the northern area of the Blue Mountains from near Bell to near Mt Tomah.

The Brigade is a volunteer emergency response organisation comprising people who have property in the two villages or an interest in the area. About one-third of the local residents are active in the Brigade. About 70% of our active members live off the mountains mostly in Sydney. So the Brigade relies on the 30% who live locally as the first response to most incidents. However, the off mountain active members give the Brigade a depth to respond to long running and major incidents.

The area for which the Brigade has prime responsibility is shown in this map.

Details

Last Updated: 09 December 2022

Mt Wilson / Mt Irvine Rural Fire Brigade is in the West Sector of the Blue Mountains District of the NSW Rural Fire Service and serves the villages of Mount Wilson and Mount Irvine and surrounding areas, which includes the northern area of the Blue Mountains from near Bell to near Mt Tomah.

The Brigade is a volunteer emergency response organisation comprising people who have property in the two villages or an interest in the area. About one-third of local residents are active in the Brigade and approximately 70% of those active members live off the mountains mostly in Sydney but also have a local property for weekends and holidays. So the Brigade relies on the 30% who live locally as the first response to most incidents during the week. However, the off mountain active members give the Brigade a depth to respond to long running and major incidents.

The area for which the Brigade has prime responsibility is shown in this map.

The Brigade was formed in 1958 and has been engaged in community service since then.

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  Barkers Creek fire November 2006

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  Wilsons Promontory, Victoria Feb 2009

The Brigade responds to many different types of incidents and also responds to assist other brigades, particularly those who are adjacent to us.

Typical incidents the Brigade responds to are:

• Search and rescues for people who are lost or who have had an accident in the Blue Mountains
• Community First Responder medical incidents which happen when local residents call '000' for ambulance assistance
• Supporting Police and Ambulance with people lost or injured in the local canyons.
• Motor vehicle accidents, particularly along Bell's Line of Road between Mt Tomah and Bell
• Bush fires which can be local or in other parts of the Blue Mountains. We also supply teams to other districts and States when requested.
• Village fires in houses or other property
• Hazard reductions locally and in support of other brigades.
• Storm damage to remove trees and vegetation from local roads
• Patrolling during fire bans and high risk periods to look for any signs of fire
• Regional Response Group

   

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  Mt Wilson Fire Station

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  Cat 7, Cat 1 and Personnel Carrier in Mt Wilson Fire Station

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  Truck Accident Bells Line of Road Nov 2010

Details

Last Updated: 09 September 2016

The population across the district is 75,000 people who live in, or in the vicinity of 27 towns and villages across the Mountains. The local government area covers 143,000 hectares of land in the Greater Sydney Region.

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  Blue Mountains RFS District

About 70 per cent of the area is incorporated into the World Heritage Blue Mountains National Park, with approximately 11 per cent of the total land area in private ownership.

Details

Last Updated: 21 May 2018

Captain

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Senior Deputy Captain

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Deputy Captains

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Medium Rigid Licence (MR) or Rural Fire Driver (RFD)

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Chain Saw Operators

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Front Line Firefighters (1st Call)

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Front Line Firefighters (2nd Call)

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Front Line Firefighters (3rd Call)

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First Aid

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Remote Area Firefighters

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Station Officers

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Catering Officer and Deputy

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Catering Team Leaders

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Community Engagement - Community Liaison Officer and Team

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Community Liaison Street Coordinators

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Experienced People who can be used for Support Roles

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Equipment Support

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Details

Last Updated: 27 November 2022

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  A very early photo of the first fire truck used by the Mt Wilson/ Mt Irvine Brigade. It was a Chev Blitz modified as a fire truck.

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  The Mt Irvine 1945 Studebaker Fire Truck which was the second fire truck in Mt Irvine

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  Taken in March 1978, the 1945 Studebaker Fire Truck at Mt Irvine has Geoffrey Naylor, Alison, Grant, Hugh Smart (on the ground) and Paul Naylor driving.

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  Taken in 1979 with Paul Naylor at driver's door and Geoff Naylor at rear.

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  Alan Gunn with one of the early Mt Wilson/ Mt Irvine Cat 7 Fire Trucks

Details

Last Updated: 16 April 2024

The Mt Wilson/ Mt Irvine Brigade currently has about 70 active firefighters, and 55 support volunteers. About a third of our active firefighters live in the villages and can provide immediate response to incidents. The other two thirds of members live off the mountains and respond once they can arrive locally and are available to longer duration incidents where crews are needed on subsequent days. This provides the Brigade with the ability to consistently fight long lasting bushfire events.

In 2022 the Brigade comprised:

Fire Trucks: 1 x Cat 11 Pumper, 1 x Cat 1, 1 x Cat 7, 1 x Cat 9, 2 x PC (both of which have medical eqipment)
Active Firefighters: about 70, and Active Support people: about 55
Members: about 130 active members
Mt Wilson Fire Station: 47 The Avenue, Mt Wilson
Mt Irvine Fire Station: Mt Irvine Rd, Mt Irvine

Static Water supply tanks throughout the community with roadside hydrants 

On public ground - 12

On private property - 14

Details

Last Updated: 09 September 2016

The Brigade has many types of call outs during the year. Recent statistics for significant call outs are:

Details

Last Updated: 12 September 2016

The Mt Wilson/ Mt Irvine Brigade currently has about 50 active firefighters, and 35 support volunteers and attends many different types of incidents from search & rescue, and motor vehicle accidents to bushfires and medical emergencies.

Details

Last Updated: 13 December 2022

The Community First Responders provide a quick initial local response to '000' calls to NSW Ambulance by providing initial emergency care while the ambulance arrives.

The Community First Responder program is an exciting joint initiative of the NSW Ambulance Service and the RFS. It was started in Mt Wilson and Mt Irvine in August 2007 and has been a strong community support enterprise since then.

The Community First Responder program was devised as a practical solution to the health needs of remote communities where an ambulance can take half an hour or more to attend a medical emergency. Mt Wilson/ Mt Irvine was the first brigade in NSW to be invited to trial the program.

Community First Responders receive intensive training from NSW Ambulance officers and then follow this up with monthly online training modules and face to face training.

Successful graduates are known as Honorary Ambulance Officer – First Responder and are trained in the skills required to sustain life until an ambulance arrives.

First Responders are qualified to administer CPR techniques and defibrillation in the case of heart attacks, and to administer specified medications. They are able to deal with diabetic emergencies, anaphylaxis (severe and life-threatening allergic reaction), and monitor vital signs until the arrival of qualified medical assistance.

Another vital part of the First Responder's role is to meet the ambulance and escort it to the patient to ensure no time is wasted. They are able to locate and operate all equipment on an ambulance to assist the paramedics once they arrive.

In the case of a medical emergency the immediate response should still be to ring 000. At the same time as the call goes out from the call centre to the ambulance, First Responders will be paged by the call centre and can respond to the patient immediately.

Mt Wilson/ Mt Irvine Brigade was well placed to provide the state's first batch of First Responders already having a defibrillator sponsored by Citigroup, and two oxygen resuscitation units purchased with community donations.

Once the First Responders are certified, each person is supplied with a personal kit and the brigade also has a kit kept at the two Fire Stations. NSW RFS has provided Support vehicles for responding to incidents and the Ambulance Service provides the Brigade with portable radios to enable the First Responders to brief paramedics on the patient's status and receive advice while the ambulance is travelling towards them.

We have received wonderful support from NSW Ambulance officers at Lithgow and trainers from Bathurst. We are very grateful for their support.

Details

Last Updated: 17 September 2018

We welcome new members and we offer a multitude of roles other than firefighting. Firefighting, station officer, communications, catering, logistics, planning and aviation support are all critical – there is a job for everyone in our Brigade.

If you are thinking of joining the Mt Wilson/Mt Irvine Rural Fire Brigade, you will need to:

• Join the NSW Rural Fire Service. Approach one of the Mt Wilson/Mt Irvine Brigade members who will help you through the joining process.
• This involves 

1. Complete RFS membership application at the Mt Wilson Fire Station. You will need 100 points ID plus two extra cards, which means for example we will need to see your passport, drivers licence, plus 2 other cards (credit cards, medicare card, etc.).We then send the application into the RFS for processing.
2. Complete online Volunteer Induction (VI) and Safety Induction (SI) courses.  Go to https://fuel.rfs.nsw.gov.au/ and login as a guest (down near bottom of login options). You will need to provide a name so that the RFS can cross refer your online completion with your membership later on. Complete the VI and SI courses. You can do these as many times as you like, so don’t worry about getting something wrong as you do them. 
3. When you visit the fire station, one of us has to take you through a practical assessment of your SI course. This is quite simple and nothing to be worried about. The goal is for us to make sure you get through.

• The membership forms will need to be signed by the Captain, Senior Deputy, a Deputy Cation or Training Officer of the Brigade.
• Following this you commence formal training to become a bushfire fighter or a support person. We need as many support people as we do operational fire fighters.

It will help you to understand the process if you review the pdf 10 Steps to Becoming a Volunteer (95 KB) before you make a final decision.

We welcome new members and encourage you to join. Please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have any questions.

Details

Last Updated: 13 September 2016

Mt Wilson and Mt Irvine are areas of extreme bushfire risk. If you are travelling to Mt Wilson or Mt Irvine during the bushfire season (usually 1st October to 31st March) it is wise to check first that conditions are safe. There are a number of websites which provide vital information on bushfire activity:

• The NSW Rural Fire Service website provides the latest information on current bushfires in NSW as well as tips on travelling, camping, bushwalking and caravanning during the bushfire season. Check to see what the Fire Danger Rating is and if there is a Total Fire Ban (TOBAN).

Even outside the bushfire season hazard reductions may be taking place (usually in spring or autumn) which may lead to delays, decreased visibility due to smoke and road and park closures. The NSW RFS website will have the latest updates on hazard reduction activity.

The NSW RFS has a free app, 'Fires Near me', which provides warnings of fires in your vicinity. However, please note that mobile phone reception at Mt Wilson and Mt Irvine is erratic.

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• The National Parks and Wildlife Service website provides information on park closures and hazard reduction activity in National Parks.
• The NSW Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) website provides warnings on road closures due to fires or reduced visibility on roads due to smoke.

If you are travelling to Mt Wilson and Mt Irvine during the bushfire season take plenty of water, tell someone where you are going and IF CONDITIONS ARE NOT GOOD, DON'T GO.

Details

Last Updated: 22 August 2022

pdf How do Residents in Bushfire Prone Areas View the Bushfire Risk of their Local Area and their Homes? (1.06 MB)

RFS AGM 2022 Minutes

RFS AGM 2021 Minutes

pdf RFS AGM 2020 Minutes (242 KB)

pdf RFS AGM 2019 Minutes (157 KB)

pdf 2018 AGM Minutes (280 KB)

pdf 2017 AGM Minutes (188 KB)

2016 AGM Minutes

pdf 2015 AGM Minutes (475 KB)

pdf 2014 AGM Minutes (176 KB)

pdf 2013 AGM Minutes (299 KB)

pdf 2012 AGM Minutes (194 KB)

pdf 2011 AGM Minutes (103 KB)

pdf 2010 AGM Minutes (114 KB)

pdf 2009 AGM Minutes (123 KB)

pdf 2008 AGM Minutes (107 KB)

pdf 2018 Mt Wilson Mt Irvine Brigade Constitution (267 KB)

pdf Brigade Rule 1 Life Membership Criteria (60 KB)

pdf Brigade Rule 2 Life Membership Transfer (60 KB)

pdf Brigade Rule 7 Process for nominations of Field and Administrative officers (65 KB)

pdf Brigade Rule 12 Additional Administrative Officer positions (60 KB)

pdf Brigade Rule 14 Additional Executive Committee membership (60 KB)

pdf Brigade Rule 16 Authorised to pay monies out of brigade accounts (91 KB)