West Pittwater Brigade
West Pittwater Rural Fire Brigade is part of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service — the largest volunteer fire fighting service in the world
We are a Village 1 category brigade which means we are capable of both Bush and Structure Fire Fighting. However the role of the Rural Fire Service has shifted over the last few years so while we are still the combat agency for fire outside of defined metropolitan areas we are now also a land management organisation. Aside from fighting fires a great deal of our energies are spent on Hazard Reduction programs, training and community education.
West Pittwater Rural Fire Brigade – Servicing the southern Western Forsehores of Pittwater, including the offshore communities of McCarrs Creek, Elvina Bay, Lovett Bay and Morning (Towlers) Bay – Stations in Elvina (South) and Lovett (North). We have two Category 7 tankers – Elvina 7 and Lovett 7, one Personnel Carrier – Elvina PC and the South Pittwater, second response fireboat, West Pittwater 15 (‘Margaret Molloy’).
What we do
Fight Bush Fires, Structure Fires, Boat Fires, Car Fires/Motor Vehicle Accidents, Storm Damage, Search and Rescue, Fund Raising, Assist and Support the community with Medivacs. We are also actively engaged in community education, holding regular community education events, as well as providing a point of contact within the community for advice and assistance, regarding bushfire safety and prevention.
Location
We are in a somewhat unusual location in that we are one of the Pittwater ‘water access only’ brigades, where there are only the fire trails that run through the Kuring-Gai Chase National Park to access the bays. Our firefighting follows suit and we are a little unusual in not having issues with water. We have access to the biggest source of water—the ocean. Consequently portable pumps are high use for us.