History
Two unsuccessful meetings were held in 1896 to establish a Barcaldine Fire Brigade. The catalyst came after the 1909 fire that destroyed 18 buildings in the main street. Pulling down buildings was the only way to stop a fire in the early years. Bucket brigades were largely ineffectual. One day after the 1909 fire, Barcaldine councillors met to discuss formation of a fire brigade. Plans to form one had already been made in response to a Chamber of Commerce request and Cr. Meacham was able to present estimates for alternative schemes. A public notice invited volunteers to register as fire fighters before 24 August 1909.
The first meeting of the Barcaldine Fire Brigade Board took place in January 1910. Chief Officer/Superintendent in Charge C. Lloyd-Jones with Deputy Chief H. Williams and 16 volunteers were chosen from the applications received. Two teams were formed and over £400 of equipment ordered, including hoses, hydrants and a pump on wheels known as ‘Gentle Annie’.
Western Champion and General Advertiser for the Central-Western Districts (Barcaldine, Qld. : 1892 – 1922), Saturday 5 February 1910, page 6
Extract from the Rockhampton Morning Bulletin of 5 May 1939
The initial meeting of the Barcaldine Fire Brigade Board was held on January 31, 1910. The Brigade struggled on from that date until June with very little apparatus, the first grant from the Shire Council being in June. It amounted to £200, and the requirements were set down for a new station £80, apparatus cart £22, pump £36, and fire bell £10.
The first call to a fire the brigade received was on October 26, 1911, but the fire was under control ‘ before the brigade arrived. After this a small manual pump was received from the shire council. After a lot of hard work it was possible to make this pump throw a small jet about 40 ft. The board having got on a footing in 1915 Mr Parnell suggested at the February meeting that payment to members of the brigade be increased, but after full consideration it was decided that the pays be the same as before, 6d .per practice, but with a bonus added each six months if it were considered funds were sufficient for the purpose. On November 8, the board granted a bonus of £l a head to the six remaining members of the original brigade and 10s. a head to the seven new members. Owing to the shortage of volunteers for the brigade in 1918 the firemen had a strenuous time and the firemen asked the Board for an increase in pays and salaries. They also asked the following fire pays be granted: 2s. 6d. for the first hour and 2s. an hour afterwards. This was granted, and the practice pays were increased from 6d. to 1s., with the proviso that any new members receive only 6d. during the probationary period of three months, and a corresponding half rate for fires. In 1617 the board purchased a two-man reel. The shortage of firemen continued in 1918, and to encourage young fellows to join the board increased the pays to 1s. 8d. a practice. It was the West End fire early in 1920 that brought the present brigade up to date with equipment. After that conflagration the superintendent reported that it was unfair to the firemen to try to cope with a big outbreak when insufficient apparatus was available. During that fire anxiety was felt all through that the flames would jump across the street to the eastern block, and the superintendent said he had never contemplated the probability of having to fight two sections of the town at the one time, and that if the Shakespeare Hotel had caught fire he would have had to let one section burn. The financial position of the board kept the Brigade quiet until 1928, when a deputation waited on the board and practically demanded a fire engine. At the December meeting it was decided that a Morris truck and Hale pump be purchased at once, and also that a suitable station be built. As the present engine has been in use for 13 years it was made known that the board is to be asked to place on next year’s estimates a sum for the purchase of a new engine.
The first fire practice was held at the back of the Shire Hall where ‘Gentle Annie’ was kept with a few hoses. The first Fire Station was built at the old council bore yards in Ash Street with an £80 fire bell erected, then followed by more equipment including a second pump known as ‘Red Wings’, but it was not until the water tower was built in 1914 that the fire fighters had enough water pressure to be effective in their fire fighting efforts.
After each major street fire, efforts were made to improve fire fighting resources.
In 1920 the Fire Station was moved to a central position near the western end of the courthouse and two years later an electric siren was installed for more effective warning and sounded each day at 1 pm as an official time check. A second hand quad cycle (Bicycle for four that towed hoses and pumps) was purchased in 1923 for £20.
After the destruction of the second Shakespeare Hotel in 1924, Barcaldine Shire Council decreed that new buildings in the main street must be fireproof, but in the depressed times people could not afford to use concrete and brick, and relaxed regulations. Then the Railway and Exchange Hotels burnt down again.
At that time there was wrangling with the Fire Brigade Board, but after the 1926 fire where a large part of western Oak Street was destroyed, differences were settled and plans made for a better service.
First Fire Station
In January 1927, a tender of £839 was accepted from Western Building Co. for a new two-storey fire station. In 1927 the old station was dismantled and replaced with a new two-storey building, constructed ironically of timber. A concrete floor was laid by Meacham & Leyland and a 1923 Morris truck and Hale pump were ordered to convert into a fire engine. To save costs, A. (Alex) A. Dyer fitted a pump onto the motor body and in the first week of April the bright red and black vehicle attracted much attention as it made a trial run through the streets. It was the first motorised transport for the brigade, and can be seen today at the Barcaldine Museum.
The new station was officially opened on 22 July 1927.
Second Fire Station
The next fire station was made of brick, erected on the Ash/Maple Street corner in 1963. First practice in the new fire station took place on 27 May 1963.
The double storey building was moved to the showgrounds and became the Vince Mather Pavilion to make way for the new station, the site of the current Fire Station and Ambulance and Emergency Services.
Sources include: Between the Bougainvilleas: Barcaldine Heritage Trails, page 9. Hoch, Isabel. 2008. Pages 65, 73, 75, 81-83, 114.
Emergency Services complex
