Welcome to one of the largest emergency service providers in the world – the New South Wales Rural Fire Service. This website has been developed to keep the volunteer fire fighters from the Lower Hunter Zone up to date with local news and events, and to provide them with a portal through which they can access a range of services and programs. It also gives us the opportunity to showcase ourselves to the world, to show the communities we serve just how we go about protecting them from natures most ancient and destructive force – fire!

Of course the RFS is not just about putting out fires. We provide an extensive range of services to meet local community needs. So you may very well see the familiar RFS yellow overalls helping during a flood, or clearing up after a storm, you may see them behind a BBQ at the local fete, or teaching fire safety at a local school. We rescue cats out of trees, and dogs out of drains, attend the odd prang, and derailment of trains. And of course we fight fires. Bush fires, house fires, car fires, boat fires. In short, if it catches fire and it’s in our patch, we’ll put it out!

Our Current Major Incidents update is designed to provide the general public with relevant information of major fires that could affect local communities. Fire Safety Tips has some great ways for you to protect your house and property from fire, and the Brigades button will give you a quick tour of our stations. At Fire Permits you can find out if you need a permit to burn and how you can get one, whilst our Photo gallery has some incredible shots of fires and fire fighting. If you are interested in becoming a member of the RFS, the How to Join section will explain the process.

So if you want to learn more about what we do, or you are one of our volunteers and need to see what’s happening around the traps, sit back, relax and let your cursor do all the work!