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CFA volunteer brigade since 1941
About
About the brigade
Protecting Emerald since 14 March 1941.
Our members at the station.
Who we are
Emerald Fire Brigade is a CFA volunteer brigade serving Emerald, a town of nearly 7,000 people. Our response area covers about 35 square kilometres. In 2025–26 we responded to 111 incidents, about two a week.
Our members come from all walks of life. What we share is a commitment to protecting the community we live in and helping people in need.
What we do
Bushfires and grass fires
House and building fires
Road crashes
Hazardous material spills and gas leaks
Fire Medical Response: helping Ambulance Victoria at life-threatening medical emergencies
Strike teams to major fires across Victoria
Community education, including bushfire information sessions and fire safety for children
Our volunteers respond day and night, all year round, with two tankers, a pumper and a field command vehicle.
Our history
1941Founded on 14 March as the Emerald Bush Fire Brigade. Equipment was kept in a garage at a butcher's shop near Monbulk Road, and crews went to fires in private trucks.
1945Our first fire truck arrived: an ex-army Dodge with a square water tank and a hand pump. A brick station was built around the same time, one of only a few brigade-owned stations in Victoria.
1955On 2 January, one of the district's largest fires burnt about 400 hectares. Eleven brigades and 200 firefighters fought it.
1962Brigade members won individual state championships in the rope climb and knapsack events at the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds.
1966A CFA Austin tanker replaced the ex-army truck.
1968The Gembrook-Cockatoo water scheme opened, giving Emerald and four neighbouring brigades a water supply passing most properties.
1976CFA Deputy Chairman Colin Diffey officially opened our new station building.
1977We won the Region 13 Fire Prevention Competition, placing Emerald among the top 20 of about 1,000 rural brigades in Victoria.
1983The brigade was involved in the Ash Wednesday fires. The same year, the new Emerald Ambulance Branch was set up inside our fire station, where it stayed for almost four years.
1987Emerald SES began using our station as a hub for training and administration while its unit facility was built at its previous location near the Emerald Tennis Club.
2009Our members served in strike teams during the Black Saturday bushfires.
2010After 69 years in the old building, we moved into our purpose-built station at our current location, 5 Emerald-Monbulk Road. The station was opened by Emergency Services Minister Bob Cameron. It can also be used as a Local Command Facility to manage significant local incidents.
2021Members supported Emerald and neighbouring communities through the June storms and their aftermath. The brigade later received the Chief Officer's Commendation for this work.
2024In February, after attending major fires during the day, the brigade responded to many incidents that evening as a major storm hit, including entrapments, car crashes and a house fire. Fallen trees, blocked roads, damaged powerlines and several days without power, mobile coverage or internet saw the brigade keep supporting the community over the following week. In May our new Field Command Vehicle came online, adding to our fleet and giving us more capability for incident management and operational coordination.
2025Fire Medical Response (FMR) began, with Emerald among just 50 brigades in the state selected for the program. 22 members were trained to support Ambulance Victoria at life-threatening medical emergencies. Our new Tanker 2 arrived in December, and we retired our brigade-owned salvage vehicle after more than 16 years.
202685 years of volunteer service. Life Member Graeme Legge AM marks 75 years of CFA service, and Trevor Ireland 50 years.
Brigade management
Our Captain and Lieutenants make up the Brigade Management Team with our Communications Officer. Officers are elected by brigade members for two-year terms; the current team was elected in 2026.
