Welcome to what when finished will arguably be the largest collection of Australasian Fire Service, Emergency Service, Ambulance Service, and Minesite Emergency Rescue Team shoulder patches able to be viewed online!

 

This collection started quite by accident. While researching the history of the Fire Service in the Northern Territory of Australia, I was trying to ascertain the dates of issue of the current shoulder patches and cap badges.  During my research I found a number of older NT patches, and was also given three cap badges by Murray Riley, an ex-regular firefighter who acknowledged that a collection needed to be maintained for posterity.  Thanks Murray, very much appreciated!  Murray's kind gift led to an even greater search, culminating in the discovery of what was presumed at the time to be one of the original Northern Territory Fire Brigade cap badges. Found in Victor Harbour (South Australia) this badge showed two crossed axes with the initials "N T F B" within the cross. It is shown on the NT Cap Badges page, and was a most welcome and valued addition to the collection.

 

The collection of shoulder patches grew, and was extended to encompass all Australasian Fire and Rescue Service and Emergency Service authorities. The Emergency Service patches were added due to the amalgamation of Fire and Emergency Service volunteers (to become Fire and Emergency Response Groups, or FERGs) in remote towns of the Northern Territory. These groups perform an amazing role ranging from fire protection within the towns to very serious road crash rescue in some very remote locations in the Territory. And even more remote than the FERG groups are the various mine Emergency Rescue Teams. These amazing groups have extensive skills in all manner of firefighting and emergency care, as well as vertical, underground and on-ground rescue.

 

For those who have already landed on this website, please bear with me as it may take a while to upload the various scanned images to the site. I'll do it as quickly as I can!

 

And if anybody has any information regarding the early days of firefighting in the Northern Territory that can add to my research, I would very much appreciate hearing from you! This may be from the Darwin Fire Brigade, the Alice Springs Fire Brigade, the Northern Territory Fire Brigade, the Northern Territory Fire Service, or what is now the Northern Territory Fire and Rescue Service.

 

I can be contacted by email at louc55@bigpond.net.au