In 2026, the CFS marks 50 years since the Country Fires Act 1976 established the organisation as a single statewide service.
The anniversary recognises the CFS's history since 1976 while acknowledging the generations of volunteers and brigades that served South Australian communities long before the organisation was established.
The anniversary is about recognising the people behind the uniform – past and present volunteers, staff, families and communities who have helped shape the CFS.
Everyone has a story to tell. Members, brigades and former members are encouraged to share their history, memories and milestones throughout the anniversary year.
While recognising the past, the anniversary also celebrates the CFS of today and the people who will continue serving South Australian communities into the future.
Countdown to the 50th Anniversary of the Country Fires Act:
CFS through the decades
The Volunteer: first edition, 1979
In March 1979, the first edition of The Volunteer was published as the official journal of the SA Country Fire Service.
The quarterly publication was created to help volunteers stay connected and share what was happening across CFS. Brigades and members were encouraged to contribute their own stories, local activities, historical pieces, cartoons, technical information and other news.
The first edition provides an interesting snapshot of CFS just a few years after the organisation was established, from brigade activities and competitions to operational and technical information.
You can read the original 1979 edition below. Click through the pages to take a look.
From the archives: E.F.S. Manual 1976
Before the SA Country Fire Service was established, volunteer firefighting across South Australia operated under the Emergency Fire Service (E.F.S.).
The E.F.S. Manual 1976 gives us a snapshot of the service during an important year in our history, as South Australia prepared for the introduction of the Country Fires Act and the establishment of CFS.
Inside, you’ll find a mix of operational information and records from the time, including bushfire history, hydraulics and metrication, radio call signs and frequencies, fire statistics and information about the E.F.S.
Take a look through the original manual below and see how much has changed, and what might still look familiar, 50 years on.
The Country Fires Act 1976
The Country Fires Act 1976 laid the foundations for the CFS we know today.
Passed by the South Australian Parliament in 1976, the Act established the Country Fire Services Board and a new structure for country firefighting across the state. It received Royal Assent on 23 December 1976, with the new CFS structure beginning to take shape the following year.
There’s another interesting piece of South Australian history connected to the Act. Sir Douglas Nicholls KCVO OBE had become Governor of South Australia just weeks earlier, on 1 December 1976. A Yorta Yorta man, Sir Nicholls was the first Aboriginal person appointed to vice-regal office in Australia and remains the only First Nations Australian to have held such a position. Sir Nicholls served as South Australia’s 28th Governor until April 1977.
You can read the original Country Fires Act 1976 and see the legislation that helped shape the CFS we know today.
State Training Centre through the years
The CFS State Training Centre at Brukunga has come a long way since it was established in 1989.
The Pyrites Road site was previously an industrial complex, with existing buildings and sheds adapted to create practical training spaces for CFS volunteers.
Over the years, the site has continued to grow and change alongside CFS training. These photos offer a look back at the early days of the State Training Centre and how Brukunga developed into the training facility members know today.
