Fire Services Museum of Victoria

Fire Services Museum of Victoria Museum featuring the history of Firefighting in Victoria Today the museum is run completely by volunteers each with a unique background with the fire services.

The Fire Services Museum of Victoria is an organisation dedicated to the preservation and showcasing of fire-fighting memorabilia from Victoria, Australia and overseas. It bolsters one of the largest collections of fire-fighting memorabilia in Australia, with it being located in one of its prized exhibits; the original headquarters of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) on the corner of Gisborne S

t and Victoria Parade, East Melbourne. Some being former and members of the MFB, Country Fire Authority (CFA), Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) and many more other fire-related agencies. The Museum is open on the following days:
Thursday: 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Friday: 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Sunday: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Group Tours can be arranged through the museum booking officer outside of these times; however we require at least two weeks notice beforehand to ensure we have members provided. As a non-profit organisation, the Fire Museum relies on fees to develop displays, upgrade facilities, maintain apparatus and promote various activities. The entrance fees to the museum are as follows:
Concessions/Seniors/Children (Under 18) - $8
Adults - $10
Family Tickets (2 Adults, 2 Children) - $25
Children under 5 enter FREE! We are always looking to expand our volunteer bases too! So if you have a passion for fire-fighting or a fire service enthusiast, why not pop into the museum and talk to the members and see what its all about to be a volunteer with the Fire Services Museum of Victoria.

01/06/2026

Medals, Monuments and Memorials

This series is about Fires, and Fire-Fighting, Medals Monuments and Memorials.

1978 Memorial Arboretum
Address: Mountbatten Avenue, Bright

The Arboretum commemorates the men who were killed in a helicopter crash near Wandiligong in 1978.

A helicopter carrying out a fuel-reduction burning operation crashed near Wandiligong on 19 April 1978, and two Forest Officers, Peter Collier and Stan Gillett and the pilot, John Byrnes, lost their lives.

https://monumentaustralia.org.au/display/33000-bushfire-volunteers
https://museumsvictoria.com.au/article/victorian-bushfire-history-preserved/

If you know of other memorials for these or other fire events please email [email protected] with memorial in the subject line.

01/06/2026

Glossary of Firefighting Terms and Equipment

H

Higbee indicators
Notches or groves cut into coupling lugs to identify by touch or sight the exact location of the Higbee cut.

High pressure fog (HPF)
A suppression technique consisting of finely atomized water droplets at several hundred pounds per square inch of pressure. By far, one of the most efficient suppression techniques available. Advantages include a *very* high conversion rate, unmatched atmospheric cooling and control of thermal layers, very little wasted water (and consequent water damage), and the ease of managing a small diameter booster line (defined above) during application. Disadvantages are lack of distance, lack of pe*******on into various materials, and high risk of steam burns to the attack crew. HPF is quite popular in Europe but was discarded in the U.S. due to different building construction and the resulting increase in disadvantages.

High-rise pack
Hose bundle prepared for carrying to a standpipe in a high-rise building, usually consisting of 50 or more feet of 1 ½-inch (38mm) hose and a combination nozzle. In the USA this is 1 3/4, (44mm)

High visibility safety vests
From time to time firefighters are required to operate on or near roadways or in areas where they need to be clearly visible. For these situations firefighters wear a lime yellow vest with silver reflective tape. The vest ensures that personnel in a non-firefighting situation can be adequately seen by passing motorists. These are not used in firefighting operations.

Hook
forged steel hook at end of insulated pole of varying lengths; used for piercing and pulling building materials away from walls and ceilings. Similar to nautical gaff hook. Short hook with a pointed tip is a pike pole; longer hook on a San Francisco hook; two offset hooks on either side of tip is a universal hook; long p-shaped hook is a Boston rake for pulling plaster and lath; short hook with claw on opposite side of tip is either a gypsum hook or the narrower ceiling hook; pike pole with a short handle is a somewhat useless closet hook.

Share your thoughts in the comments or via email to [email protected]

31/05/2026

Finding yourself with some free time, why not join the Museum?

No minimum hours required.

Everyone is welcome and you don't have to have been involved with the Fire Services in the past.

We can always use more hands so why not give us a call or drop us a line at [email protected] or have a look at the webpage http://fsmv.net.au/members.html

𝓚 𝓴 is forKnapsack and Knife.
29/05/2026

𝓚 𝓴

is for

Knapsack and Knife.

29/05/2026

On this day:

May 29th

“Massey Shaw” – Dunkirk Evacuation
May 29th to to June 5th.

London Fire Boat “Massey Shaw” played a part in the “Little Ships” evacuation of the beaches at Dunkirk. The trip to sea was only the second she had ever done. The first was when she traveeled from the shipyard in the Isle of Wight to the Thames.

Originally intended to assist with the fire fighting efforts, they were soon redirected to assist with the evacuation. They had a small rowing skiff that was initially used, but sank under the weight of too many trying to board. During the trips back and forth other ways of getting the soldiers on board were used. The Massey ferried soldiers from the beaches to larger ships, along with making trips back and forth herself. Eventually returning to London on June 5th. As she travelled up the Thames, she received shouts and cheers from each fire station she passed.

https://www.adls.org.uk/massey-shaw
https://masseyshaw.org/learning-zone/dunkirk-timeline/

If you know of other events in Fire Services History, please share so we can update the list

28/05/2026

On this day:

May 28th

Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire, Southgate, Kentucky, U.S.
May 28th 1977

The Beverly Hills Supper Club fire in Southgate, Kentucky, is the seventh deadliest nightclub fire in history. It occurred on the night of May 28, 1977, during the Memorial Day holiday weekend. A total of 165 people died and more than 200 were injured as a result of the blaze.

Overcrowding in the clubs cabaret room meant that there were substantially more guests than the occupancy limits allowed for. The structure was not equipped with a sprinkler system or audible fire alarm. There were also not any firewalls built in. The fire exits, such as they were, were woefully inadequate and often led to other parts of the building. According to the code at the time, the building occupancy limit required 28 exits, the building had 17.

Staff were alerted to there being something wrong when a wedding party left before their allotted time ended at approximately 8:30 pm. The fire was not discovered, and thre fire brigade not alerted until 9:00 pm. The cabaret room was not given an evacuation order until 9:06 pm, by which time it was already too late. The crowds streamed for the exits, however could not get out due to the lack of exits and the amount of people needing to use them.

165 people lost their lives during, or as a result of, this disastrous event. The magnitude of the blaze was such that firefighters did not have the flames under control until around two o'clock that morning; parts of the building continued to burn until May 30, two days after the fire began.

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2023/05/26/beverly-hills-supper-club-fire-1977/70260608007/
https://www.firehouse.com/operations-training/article/55041408/this-month-in-fire-history-may-2024
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverly_Hills_Supper_Club_fire

If you know of other events in Fire Services History, please share so we can update the list

Would you like to see your Business, Brigade or organisation featured here?Contact the Museum to discuss how to feature ...
28/05/2026

Would you like to see your Business, Brigade or organisation featured here?

Contact the Museum to discuss how to feature in our regular posts!

Interested? Drop us a line via messenger or email [email protected]

26/05/2026

On this day:

May 26th

First Melbourne Demonstration
May 26th 1873

Commencing with a torchlight procession and ending with a banquet the first Melbourne Demonstration was a success. The firefighters were supported by four brass bands and escorted by mounted troopers. The next day the firefighters formed a procession to Spring St where they practiced with their apparatus before being reviewed by the Governor of Victoria.

The number of participants was reported to be around 450 Firefighters, the torchlight being watched by around 6-7000 citizens.

Sources: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/198575134?searchTerm=Melbourne%20demonstration
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/198577931?searchTerm=Melbourne%20demonstration
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/199004895/21181427

If you know of other events in Fire Services History, please share so we can update the list

Address

39 Gisborne Street
Melbourne, VIC
3002

Opening Hours

Thursday 9am - 3pm
Friday 9am - 3pm
Sunday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

+61396622907

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Fire Services Museum of Victoria posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Museum

Send a message to Fire Services Museum of Victoria:

Shortcuts

Share

Category