NSW RFS - Lower Hunter Communications Brigade

17/04/2026

🔥Hazard Reduction -Wollombi Cessnock LGA🔥

Firefighters will be taking advantage of favourable conditions to conduct a Hazard Reduction Burn in Wollombi on Saturday 18th April 2026.

Residents in the area may see or smell smoke and those with asthma or other respiratory problems are advised to keep clear of the area, stay indoors with your windows closed and to activate your health plan if required.

A reminder to please only call Triple Zero (000) if you can see an unattended fire. For more information, visit the Hazards Near Me app or the website: www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/hr

16/04/2026

09/04/2026

🔥Hazard Reduction Cessnock LGA🔥

Firefighters will be taking advantage of favourable conditions to conduct a Hazard Reduction Burn in Kearsley on Friday 10th April 2025.

Residents in the area may see or smell smoke and those with asthma or other respiratory problems are advised to keep clear of the area, stay indoors with your windows closed and to activate your health plan if required.

A reminder to please only call Triple Zero (000) if you can see an unattended fire. For more information, visit the Hazards Near Me app or the website: www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/hr

03/04/2026

🚒 WANT TO HELP YOUR COMMUNITY? WHY NOT JOIN A SUPPORT BRIGADE! 🔥

Crews on the ground rely on a strong support team and one of the most critical roles is Communications.

📍 Based at the Lower Hunter Fire Control Centre in East Maitland,
the Lower Hunter Communications Brigade provides the vital link between the fire ground and Fire Control.

🎧 What we do:
✅ Dispatch and monitor fire units via radio and computer aided dispatch systems
✅ Relay crucial information between crews and Fire Control during incidents
✅ Operate our Operational Command Vehicle near the fire ground to support coordination at major incidents

You don’t need to be on the hose to help protect your community.
📡 Join the team behind the scenes and make a real difference.

👥 We're looking for people who:

-Have spare time to volunteer

-Have strong communication skills

-Can think clearly and act quickly

-Remain calm in high-pressure situations

-Can multi-task effectively

-Are confident using a computer

🎓 Full training provided – no experience necessary.
If you're keen to contribute, we’ll give you the skills to succeed!

🗨️ Interested? Send us a message today!

31/03/2026

🔥Hazard Reduction Cessnock LGA🔥

Firefighters will be taking advantage of favourable conditions to conduct a Hazard Reduction Burn in Kearsley on Wednseday the First of April.

Residents in the area may see or smell smoke and those with asthma or other respiratory problems are advised to keep clear of the area, stay indoors with your windows closed and to activate your health plan if required.

A reminder to please only call Triple Zero (000) if you can see an unattended fire. For more information, visit the Hazards Near Me app or the website: www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/hr

27/03/2026

🔥End of the Bush Fire Danger Period 🔥

Midnight 31st March 2026 marks the end of the bush fire danger period in the Cessnock, Dungog, Maitland and Port Stephens LGA’s.

❌ Permits will not be required as of 1st April 2026.

✅ Notifications will still be required to your neighbours and the RFS. Go to www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/notify

🚒 Report all unattended fires to Triple Zero 000 and stay up to date by checking the Hazards Near Me App.

15/03/2026

Oyster Cove Road Fire, Oyster Cove. Port Stephens LGA

Crews are on scene at a scrub fire burning west of Tanilba Bay and to the east of Oyster Cove.

The fire has burnt around 15 hectares and is currently moving west under a sea breeze.

There are no current threats to the community, with the fire spreading adjacent to a power easement and away from nearby residential.

02/03/2026

🔘 WILDLIFE EXPERTS CAPTURE CROCODILE
- (NEWCASTLE LGA)

- Posted: 10:48pm, Sunday 1 March

A juvenile crocodile discovered in a park has been safely captured by reptile experts.

About 4.30pm on Saturday 28 February 2026, officers from Newcastle City Police District were called to Federal Park, Wallsend, following reports a crocodile was found in a waterway in the park.

Police attended and found a juvenile crocodile in the water.

Attending police formed a perimeter around the pond to prevent the reptile escaping and keep onlookers at a safe distance.

It is unknown how long the crocodile had been in the water or how it arrived there.

About 8.30pm, animal handling specialists from a reptile park were called in to retrieve the animal, with assistance from SES; however, efforts were unsuccessful that night.

The reptile specialists returned again today (Sunday 1 March 2026) and were able to safely capture the animal.

There were no injuries and no further crocodiles have been located in the area.

▪️View and be alerted to more incidents near you by downloading the NSW Incident Alerts App. Try for free today; https://apple.co/39Y5tW2

📸: Selwyn Cox

09/02/2026

Firefighters are working to fully extinguish a shed fire at a chicken farm at Luskintyre, near Rutherford in the Hunter Valley.

The fire started just after 5pm this afternoon, with first arriving crews reporting the shed was fully involved in fire.

Quick action by firefighters from the and saw two nearby sheds successfully protected. A small area of bushland that caught alight was also extinguished.

Crews will remain on scene for several more hours, continuing to extinguish hotspots beneath the collapsed shed.

📷: NSWRFS Zac Farrugia and Lewis Drayton

31/01/2026

🔥 Fire Danger Rating – 1 February 2026: HIGH 🔥

❌ Permits are suspended in some areas of the Cessnock LGA.

🟡 There’s a heightened fire risk. If a fire starts, it could be harder to control, so make sure you’re prepared.

🟡Decide what you will do before a fire starts

🟡 The safest option is to avoid bush fire risk areas.

✅ Review your Bush Fire Survival Plan

📱 Download the Hazards Near Me app and set a watch zone:
https://www.nsw.gov.au/emergency/hazards-near-me-app

Stay alert, stay safe, and know what you’ll do if a fire starts near you.