Arcadia Rural Fire Brigade

17/08/2026

With a large-scale search underway for a missing hiker in Nattai National Park, remote area firefighting crews from across the Greater Sydney region are supporting the search effort.

Today, Arcadia member Grant Paisley joined fellow Hornsby/Ku-ring-gai members and travelled to the Southern Highlands to assist with the operation. Search teams are working through challenging remote terrain, with dense bushland and poor weather conditions making the search difficult.

While the missing hiker has not yet been located, the search continues and our thoughts are with her family and loved ones as crews work to find her.

03/08/2026

If you’re starting to smell smoke around our area, it is most likely from hazard reduction burns currently being undertaken in the Wisemans Ferry and Lower Portland areas.

Land managers and fire agencies are taking advantage of favourable weather conditions ahead of the bush fire season and we’re encouraging residents to do the same. There are several simple steps you can take to prepare your property, including keeping your grass mowed, clearing overhanging branches and removing leaves from your gutters.

Remember to only call Triple Zero (000) if you can see an unattended fire. For the latest information on fires and hazard reduction burns, visit the Hazards Near Me app or the website at www.rfs.nsw.gov.au

31/07/2026

It’s fantastic to see personnel and assets being sent around the world to support firefighting operations. With the deployment of these two helicopters to France and firefighters to the United States, Australia is represented right across the globe.

This weekend, the will deploy its CH-47D Chinook helicopter and a Bell 412 support aircraft to fight fires in France. This will mark the Service’s first-ever European deployment.

The aircraft will be accompanied by 24 highly skilled aerial and ground crew, and transported to France in partnership with the Australian Defence Force.

The Chinook, equipped with an 11,300-litre belly tank, has the largest payload of any firefighting helicopter in Australia. Working with the Bell 412, it is also capable of conducting waterbombing missions at night. Should it be tasked to do so in France, it will be the first time night-time waterbombing has been undertaken in the country.

Commissioner Trent Curtin says the deployment is a testament to the expertise of our aviation crews.

“We're proud to share that expertise with our international partners while strengthening the relationships that are so important when disasters occur around the world."

03/07/2026

This afternoon, firefighters from Arcadia and Glenorie brigades responded to a grass fire in the vicinity of Cobah Road, Arcadia. On arrival, crews found a fire burning in long grass that had been accidentally started during plasma cutting.

Thanks to the quick actions of the homeowner and firefighters, the fire was contained before it could impact any structures.

While we are still in winter and have seen some rain in recent weeks, this serves as a timely reminder of the importance of maintaining your property, whether by mowing lawns, trimming vegetation, or removing other potential fire hazards.

13/06/2026

What a beautiful day to get out in the truck and undertake some training in our local area.

Today, crews from across the Hornsby/Ku-ring-gai District participated in the annual district exercise, undertaking a variety of realistic firefighting scenarios.

Exercises like these are an important opportunity to build and maintain skills ahead of the 2026/27 fire season.

A big thank you to Adam, Georgia, Michael, Danielle, Ian and Matt for representing our brigade.

03/06/2026

Fantastic work by our firefighters early this morning, extinguishing a fire inside a garage at a home in Galston. This is a perfect example of the importance of having multiple smoke alarms throughout your home.

It was a lucky escape early this morning for a family who woke to discover a fire burning in their garage.

Firefighters from the and FRNSW arrived quickly, with crews from Galston and Arcadia extinguishing the fire, which is believed to have been caused by an electric vehicle charger.

While there were no smoke alarms in the garage, a working smoke alarm in the hallway activated, allowing the family time to safely evacuate and giving firefighters a chance to extinguish the fire before it spread further into the home.

Remember it's important you have multiple smoke alarms installed throughout your home, particularly in areas where combustible materials may be present.

📸 Mike Elvidge

24/05/2026

Do you recognise any familiar faces? Yesterday, Arcadia Brigade took part in a structural firefighting training event in Thornleigh. Have a listen to our very own Mike Elvidge as he gives you a run through of the training.

22/05/2026

It’s one of our favourite events of the year and we’re so happy we’ve been able to once again support Arcadia Public School during the annual Walk Safely To School Day.

16/05/2026

Today we held our Annual General Meeting, with several key leadership position changes. We are proud to share that for the first time in our history we have both a female Captain and President.

With Mike Melis standing down as Captain, we welcome our Senior Deputy Captain Sally Elvidge into the top role. We are also pleased to announce that our Vice President Georgia King has taken on the role of Brigade President and Michael Hutchence is stepping up into the role of Senior Deputy Captain. 

We would like to thank all outgoing position holders for their contributions and efforts over the past year. Congratulations to the new position holders, we look forward to seeing the excellent work you do over the coming year.

We would also like to congratulate Mike Elvidge, who was recently elected to the role of Deputy Group Officer at the district elections. In this role, Mike will provide further leadership and support to volunteers across the district.

Finally, we congratulate all those members who received the Premier’s Flood Citation for their work supporting communities during the 2022–2023 floods.

14/05/2026

What does your smoke alarm look like? Is it time to test or replace them before winter arrives?

Smoke alarms, unlike wine, do not age well over time.

Did you know that most smoke alarms have a use-by date? Some modern smoke alarms have a life-span of up to ten years and may not have a battery to change, making it easy to forget how long since they’ve been installed.

Remember to regularly clean and test your alarms, and check the use-by date to help keep track of their age.