Notable Events for the Brigade
March 1959
Inaugural meeting of the Foundation members of the Kalamunda Brigade attended by Messrs M.E. Barnes, W.T. Halse, H.R. Law, P.A. Conrad, D.H. Hood, N.C. Pember, F.B. Cooper, R.F. Howard, T.W. Smith, T.J. Halse, V.A. Jones and V.E. Watson.
The following were elected as Office Bearers
Captain T. Smith
Foreman T. Halse
Apparatus Officer W. Halse
Secretary F. Cooper
September 1959
Dodge Fire Engine Motor No. 10 fitted with a 150/200-g.p.m. pump officially handed over at the Road Board premises.
November 1959
Approval given to construct a Fire Station in Kalamunda during the current financial year.
May 1963
First meeting held in the new Fire Station at 38 Central Road, Kalamunda.
July 1963
Bedford Fire Truck No.2 arrived on station and placed in service officially on 1 August 1963.
Licence No. KM000 had 97 miles on the clock
August 1963
Kalamunda Fire Station was officially opened at 10.30am by the Hon Ross Hutchison Chief Secretary.
June 1964
The Brigade resolved to purchase the outgoing (13) brass helmets and give them to the members – to be distributed by seniority. The cost was one pound each.
September 1973
The supposed cause of a house fire was listed as ‘Careless housewife’. The family had gone out and left a pot cooking on the stove. No sign of political correctness.
December 1973
Light Tanker Number 84 was introduced to the Brigade. This made KVFRS a two-vehicle turnout Brigade.
November 1974
LT 84 turned on its side.
March 1975
KVFRS attended its 1,000th fire – a grass fire in Enid Road, Kalamunda. This milestone took 16 years and one month to achieve.
April 1976
Breathing apparatus is first mooted for the Brigade.
July 1976
Light Tanker 84 was replaced with a Ford F250 Light Tanker – LT 156.
September 1976
LT 156 was replaced with a Toyota Landcruiser – LT 61. It seems the ‘blue oval’ was not quite up to scratch.
March 1978
Six members were selected to be the first Kalamunda firefighters to be trained in the use of Breathing Apparatus.
March 1978
The Brigade was to receive five pagers for evaluation.
February 1979
Extensions to the rear carpark commenced.
June 1979
Kalamunda Station conducted its first official Open Day (Saturday & Sunday). It was run in conjunction with WA’s 150th celebrations.
February 1983
Bedford Fire Truck No.2 was decommissioned. In 19 years and six months, the appliance attended 1,862 incidents.
February 1983
International ACCO Medium Pumper MP 124 commissioned.
December 1983
KVFRS attended its 2,000th fire – a grass fire in Kalamunda Road, Kalamunda. The second thousand took eight years and eight months.
April 1986
Brigade attends a kitchen fire in John Street, Gooseberry Hill. The fire was caused by the owner leaving a pot on the stove which boiled dry, causing extensive damage to the kitchen and smoke damage throughout. The significance is that the owner subsequently became a long-serving member of the Brigade.
July 1988
Kalamunda Station hosted an Open Day.
June 1989
At 12.18, the Brigade was called to probably its most traumatic incident – a traffic accident at the corner of Welshpool Road and Gladys Road, Lesmurdie. Three generations of one family lost their lives (grandmother, mother and daughter) in a two-car collision. The repercussions were felt for some time.
November 1990
At 15.21, a call was received to a property fire in Gooseberry Hill. A prompt response resulted in a woman being found by two firefighters wearing Breathing Apparatus. She had collapsed on the bedroom floor in a smoke-filled house. Thanks to their efforts and other firefighters outside administering mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, she was resuscitated and eventually made a full recovery – a rewarding effort by all.
January 1991
At 21.59, the Brigade was called to a car on fire at the top of Crystal Brook Road in Lesmurdie. The car was allegedly pushed over the side of the hill but no trace was ever found. What happened to the mystery car? (Refer to 26 March 2000)
April 1991
KVFRS attended its 3,000th incident – a shed fire in Haynes Street, Kalamunda. The third thousand took seven years and five months.
February 1992
At 2.32am, the Brigade was called to assist at a well rescue in Lesmurdie. Prior to being called, a tragic series of events saw two lives lost when a young man entered a well and succumbed to toxic fumes. A well-intentioned rescuer also became a victim and another almost lost his life as well.
September 1992
An Open Day at the Station was attended by an estimated 4,000 people throughout the day. The highlight appeared to be the rides given on the Perth hydraulic platform giving the lucky few a spectacular view of the area and over the trees looking down to Perth.
September 1993
Who is the enemy? At a house fire in George Road, Lesmurdie, the occurrence book shows that F/F Nick Rowe was KO’d by F/F Repacholi hitting him with a ladder. One can only presume it was not deliberate!!!
September 1995
Ex-Capt King (captain for 10 years), a stalwart with over 33 years of service with the Kalamunda Brigade and a further seven with Bassendean Volunteers, passed away.
February 1997
KVFRS attended its 4,000th incident – a vacuum cleaner fire in Palmateer Road, Carmel. The fourth thousand took six years and 10 months.
May 1997
At 23.49, a call was received to assist police at Kalamunda Central. Two suspects were bravely eluding police on the roof and taunting them. When the Brigade arrived and a ladder set up, the two young men surrendered meekly after looking at the three burly firefighters.
May 1999
The Brigade celebrated its 40th birthday by gathering as many past members as possible for a function at the Kalamunda Ag Hall.
February 2000
The Brigade was called to a Hazchem incident where a few drums of unknown liquid had been spilled. This was minor compared to what else was in the pantech – millions of dollars worth of electrical equipment – stolen, of course. The thieves had made off with what they wanted and left the rest.
March 2000
At 3.22am, the Brigade was redirected, while at an incident, to attend a scrub fire at the top of Crystal Brook Road, Lesmurdie. During firefighting operations, a Holden Commodore was found at the bottom of a ravine buried under bamboo with no one in attendance and no sign of how long it had been there. Could it have been the car ‘lost’ on 28 January 1991. Probably not, but it makes a good story.
October 2001
An Open Day at the Kalamunda Station introduces the new Scania appliance to the public.
October 2001
International ACCO Medium Pumper MP 124 is decommissioned. In 18 years and eight months, the appliance attended 2,956 incidents.
October 2001
Scania Medium Pumper MP 65 officially handed over to Captain Moiler by Emergency Services Minister Michelle Roberts. Licence No. KM000 had approximately 2,000kms on the clock.
October 2001
A sign of the times. Kalamunda is not immune. At 8.47am, a call was received to a telephone box at 161 Railway Road in Gooseberry Hill. A white powder is discovered in the phone box and the Brigade implements its procedures to deal with a possible anthrax threat. Ultimately, it is found to be a talcum powder used by a telephone technician.
February 2002
KVFRS attended its 5,000th incident – a car accident outside 9 Lascelles Parade in Gooseberry Hill. Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt and the Brigade just had to hose the road down. The fifth thousand took just under five years.
September 2002
At 1.42am, en route to a small rubbish fire, the Brigade was redirected to a motor vehicle accident in Kent Street, Maida Vale, which ultimately turned out to be one of the most bizarre incidents attended. On turning into the street, an ‘old car body’ was passed (rubbish pick-up day was imminent). This was in fact the vehicle involved in the accident and debris was strewn for about 100 metres – it looked like an explosion had torn it apart. A late-model Land Rover Defender V8 had its back wheels torn out and the rear body of the car torn off. The driver had obviously been speeding, hit several trees and eventually decamped. He had attempted to drive the vehicle without its back wheels – and did so successfully for 50 or so metres.
November 2002
A new Light Tanker, LT 264, was delivered to the Brigade.
November 2003
Geoffrey Johnston passed away after an extended illness. Geoff was with the Brigade for 27 years and seven months. He was an officer for eight years, which included two years as captain. He was made a Life Member in May 1999. A popular figure, he was sorely missed.
January 2003
Arguably the biggest fire in the Kalamunda District started in Pickering Brook and ultimately burnt out an estimated 28,000 hectares of bush from Karragullen, Pickering Brook, Bartons Mill, over to Mundaring Weir and even threatened the Mundaring townsite, Sawyers Valley and Mount Helena. Amazingly, no lives or major property were lost.
June 2007
A new Light Tanker, LT 376, was delivered to the Brigade with 303kms on the odometer. LT 264 served the Brigade for four years and seven months and had 20,631 kms on the clock.
October 2007
At its second attempt at an Australasian competition, a team from Kalamunda took out a gold medal in the Pump Suction event.
December 2007
KVFRS attended its 6,000th incident – a call to assist the BFS at a bushfire in Canning Road/Mason Mill Road in Carmel. The Brigade’s contribution was not required for an extended period. The sixth thousand took five years and 10 months.
March 2009
A reunion of members and ex-members was held at the Station to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Brigade. Four Foundation members were included in the roll up of approximately 100 firefighters that made up the bulk of attendees. Seven of the past captains also attended, allowing a unique opportunity to have photos taken together.
May 2014
KVFRS attended its 7,000th incident – a call to a car accident in Stanhope Road, Kalamunda. The Brigade was stood down before even leaving the Station (not a memorable incident). The seventh thousand took six years and five months.
June 2017
Ex-Member and Life Member Derek Fletcher is awarded an OAM (Medal of the Order of Australia) for his services to the community. Derek served with Kalamunda Volunteer Fire & Rescue for 27 years and five months, but he also served with the Kalamunda Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade, the Kalamunda State Emergency Service as well as serving as a Kalamunda Shire Councillor.
February 2018
The Brigade lost a long-term member of the Brigade. Derek Fletcher OAM, who served for 27 years and five months, passed away. Derek had been a Captain for two years, Foreman for four years, Apparatus Officer for a year and Secretary for a year. He was also made a Life Member on 14 November 1978.
January 2019
The Brigade received its first AFSM. Captain Tony Moiler was awarded the Australian Fire Service Medal for distinguished service to the Kalamunda Fire & Rescue Brigade and to the Community of Kalamunda.
March 2019
A reunion of members and ex-members was held at the Station to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Brigade. Approximately 100 firefighters and families celebrated the occasion on Station.
May 2019
A gala dinner was held at the Kalamunda Agricultural Hall to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Brigade. Many ex-members and guests joined the current members to celebrate in fine style.
March 2020
In response to the global emergency surrounding COVID-19, the Brigade implements a two-team regime in order to ensure it can respond to any emergency. Should a member become infected, the whole team is quarantined.
June 2020
The Brigade received its second AFSM. Secretary Jim Armanasco was awarded the Australian Fire Service Medal for distinguished service to the Kalamunda Fire & Rescue Brigade and to the Community of Kalamunda.
February 2021
KVFRS attended its 8,000th incident – a call to a car accident at the corner of Canning Road and Lesmurdie Road, Lesmurdie. The only Brigade action was to disconnect batteries and use some spillsorb on oil leaks. The eighth thousand call took six years and 10 months.
June 2022
The Brigade received its third AFSM. Ex-Captain Alan Pugh was awarded the Australian Fire Service Medal for distinguished service to the Kalamunda Fire & Rescue Brigade and to the Community of Kalamunda.
March 2023
The Official Opening of the refurbishment of the Kalamunda Fire Station took place. It was officially opened at 10.30am by the Hon Stephen Dawson MLC, Minister for Emergency Services.
April 2024
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