Illawarra Sutherland Operational Support Brigade

24/08/2026

05/08/2026

25/07/2026

🚨 Why do emergency vehicles sometimes turn their lights and sirens off? 🚒

Have you ever seen a fire truck responding with lights and sirens, only to suddenly switch them off and turn around? Here’s why.

When Triple Zero (000) receives a report of an emergency, multiple emergency service crews may be dispatched to ensure there are enough resources available if the situation escalates.

As crews arrive and assess the incident, it often becomes clear that not every responding vehicle is needed. At that point, crews receive what’s known as a “stop message” – a notification that their response is no longer required.

That’s when you’ll see emergency vehicles switch off their lights and sirens and return to station, ready to respond to the next emergency.

So, if you see one of our trucks suddenly stop responding or head back the way it came, it doesn’t mean we’ve given up or that something has gone wrong. It simply means the incident is under control, and those valuable resources are now available to assist elsewhere if needed.

18/07/2026

Today members from the Brigade assisted other NSW RFS Illawarra Sutherland Team members as they undertook the practical component of SFF (Structural Fire Fighter) qualifications. Great job to all participants and a well organised session. Thank you to The Oaks Rural Fire Brigade for allowing us to use your facilities.

27/06/2026

Today, Illawarra Sutherland Aviation members spent the morning at the Bankstown heli base open day.
Participants got to look through both fixed wing and rotary assets and learn about their capabilities and multi tasking configurations.
A very informative morning with many questions from members and answers / discussions from qualified RFS and Coulson aviation personnel.

21/06/2026

On Saturday at our Bi monthly meeting, members from Illawarra Support RFB & Oak Flats RFB received flood citations in recognition of their service during the flood emergency response. Also 2 of Oak Flats members received long service medals. Congratulations to all the recipient's.

30/05/2026

Thank you to the Brigade members of Support and NSW RFS - Oak Flats Brigade who have given up there time over the past days to assist with this search.

Members have also searched in composite crews with Albion Park Rural Fire Brigade & NSW RFS - Mt Keira Brigade

What a wonderful outcome 😀

28/05/2026

17/05/2026

🚨 The time has nearly arrived! 🚨

Join us on **Tuesday, May 26th 2026** at the **Albion Park Fire Control Centre** for an exciting day with **Kids Fest**.

This is a fantastic opportunity for the special little ones in your life to meet and learn about their local emergency services — all in one place! 🚒🚑🚓

Enjoy a fun-filled day of activities, education, and hands-on experiences designed to help children become familiar with emergency services in a safe, friendly, and fear-free environment.

Come along, say hello, and discover how our emergency services work together to keep the community safe. We can’t wait to see you there! 👨‍🚒👩‍🚒✨
For more information check out KidsFest Shellharbour

17/05/2026

This weekend our brigade have joined Illawarra Support Rural Fire Brigade and NSW RFS - Oak Flats Brigade to stand up as part of a fire response for Wings over Shellharbour.

Our bulk water joined a Category 6 appliance and stood up at Illawarra FCC for rapid response both days. Thankfully aresponse to an incident was not required.