The area of Kentlyn occupied by the Tharawal People who lived around various basins in Sydney. They resided on the land until settlement began in the area. The land that is now known as Kentlyn was also inclusive of the suburb now known as Ruse, and was at that time dubbed Kent Farms.
In 1933, the local agricultural bureau chose the name of Kentlyn to represent the Kent Farms area. Steadily, the character of Kentlyn was changing and the end of WW2 saw more neighbours moving into the area as post-war expansion began.
With increasingly valuable properties and the increasing need to protect more lives, residents of Kentlyn came together in 1946 in their determination to improve on the primitive to virtually non-existent fire fighting facilities that had persisted since the early sats of the NSW colonies. It wasn’t until 1947 that Kentlyn Fire Brigade was unofficially formed. The cooperation at this point between Campbelltown Council and KRFB was at best poor or non-existent and would remain this way for the next 30 years.
Although its members had been working as a unit since 1946, it was not until September of 1951 that the NSW Board of Fire Commissioners agreed to a request from Campbelltown Council to officially form local brigades in its Local Government area. At this time, Kentlyn Rural Fire Brigade was officially formed under the following conditions:
That the brigade so established be disbanded by the direction of the Board of Fire Commissioners at any time
That on establishment the Brigade, if so required, will operate under the authority of the Chief Officer or other officers appointed by the Chief Officer in the Campbelltown Fire District.
That the campbelltown and/or the Ingleburn Brigade be informed as soon as may be practicable of any call of fire received by the Kentlyn-East Minto Bush Fire Brigade so that the Board’s Officer may direct the attendance of Campbelltown or Ingleburn Brigades if deemed necessary.
Four years later, in 1955, Kentlyn and East Minto split into two separate Bushfire Brigades.
In 1960, a large scale bushfire prevention program was carried out by the Council in the Kentlyn district. Considerable undergrowth was cleared from local streets and bulldozer paths were cut through dense bush to allow fire trails to be established for mobile fire fighting equipment and personnel to reach fires previosusly unapproachable due to overgrowth. Also in the 1960’s, KRFB received their first official - an Air Force disposal Ford V8 Blitz Truck. The truck needed to be rewired due to the poor condition it was received in. Prior to this, KRFB was using a 100 gallon tank on the back of Fred Darling’s 1941 Plymouth ute, as well as individual fire fighters providing their own vehicles leaded with 44 gallon drums of water. In addition to this, Campbelltown Council installed two-way radios in four vehicles which was of considerable help in fighting bushfires.
Between the years of 1975 - 1978, a Women’s Social Committee was established to support the brigade. This help was often (but not limited to) providing food and drink during long firefighting days.
1976 Early Bliz replaced by Bedford truck Extension of about eight feet
The spring of 1977 saw the introduction of the now familiar fire danger signs around the Campbelltown area. One such sign was placed on Georges River Road. They served as a reminder to passing members of the public of the dangers that often surrounded them, such as the 1980 fire that erupted in the Peter Meadows Creek area. The fire burnt some 250 acres of bushland and saw 20 firefighters need treatment for minor burns. Introduction of the now familiar Fire Danger rating signs around the Campbelltown area
In 1982, a four-year fire truck engine replacement program was begin bu Campbelltown Council, with the aim of switching all fire fighting vehicles from petrol to diesel, and 1984, a new ‘Quick Hit’ vehicle- a Toyota Landcruiser - was added to the equipment of KRFB. This vehicle was only with the Brigade for about a year, because 1985 the Kentlyn Fire Station was quietly unlocked by somebody with a key and the ‘Quick Hit’ vehicle and all equipment (except the battery and charger) was stolen. Despite police enquiries, no trace of the vehicle has ever been found. This was undoubtedly the biggest equipment theft suffered by the Kentlyn fire fighters in the history of the brigade. The vehicle was however replaced under insurance and the replacement remained with the brigade until 1995.
Another vehicle added to the fleet was a big Isuzu Tanker in 1993. The new long base personnel carrier replaced a short wheel base personnel carrier that the brigade was using.
1996 saw the 50th Anniversary since the community of Kentlyn first came together and began working as a unit. For 50 years the firefighters of Kentlyn and other localities had been known as ‘Volunteer Bush Fire Fighters’, however in September 1996, the NSW government decided the organisation would be called ‘The Rural Fire Service’. It then became the discretion of the Brigade as to whether or not they would like to include the word ‘Volunteer’ or not.
Six Macarthur volunteers were presented with keys to brand new trucks and four-wheel drives for the Rural Fire Service in 2011 by John Parnaby at an official ceremony celebrating the long-standing commitment of local RFS volunteers.
“It is essential that brigades have the right equipment for the job, and these volunteers respond to all manner of incidents including bush and grass fires, road accidents as well as assisting with flood and storm emergencies. "As we saw just last week, a number of brigades from this region were deployed to the Blue Mountains to help with the aftermath of recent wild weather, a great demonstration of their capabilities and versatility". - Chief Superintendent Parnaby
In June 2012, the newly renovated Kentlyn Fire Station was reopened. The new station which was generously contributed to by Campbelltown Council provided room for all of the Brigade’s equipment as well as addition space for training and storage and highlights how far KRFB has come - the original shed from the establishment of KRFB was just big enough to house the Ford Blitz!
"While there are many people who deserved the highest praise for the part they played in the bushfire, there is one group who merit special mention - that is the Kentlyn-East Minto Bush Fire Brigade. The men, all local, have an intimate knowledge of the area" The Campbelltown Ingleburn News, 1 January, 1957