At the inaugral meeting of the Bush Fire Control Organisation on 14 November 1927, it directed that a number of fire depots were to be setup, including one at The Rivers property, then owned by Mr Corkhill. The homestead on The Rivers was then situated adjacent to Uriarra Road, almost where the Huntley woolshed now stands. The equipment at these depots included Fire Carts, beaters, rakes & axes. Horses for the fire carts were supplied by various Rural Lessees.
In 1928, Vern Buckmaster bought The Rivers and commenced building the present Rivers homestead. During the 1932-33 Fire Season Mr Vern Buckmaster was appointed Fire Controller for the Rivers Fire District. The boundaries of this district were bounded by the old Yarralumla Homestead, north of the Cotter Road and the area between the Molonglo and Murrumbidgee Rivers.
The A.C.T. Bush Fire Council was formed in August 1939 after the bushfires of 1938/39 fire season. A number of Fire Contollers were appointed including Mr N. C. Milson as Fire Controller and Mr Vern Buckmaster as Deputy Fire Controller for the Rivers Fire District.
After the disasterous bushfires of 1951/52 and following representations by the Bush Fire Council in mid-1952 , a number of volunteer Bush Fire Brigades were formed including the Rivers Bush Fire Brigade. It was decided that The Rivers Brigade would be conducted jointly with the Fairlight/Uriarra Brigade.
For the Fairlight/Uriarra Bush Fire Brigade, Mr John (Jack) Webb was its first captain, with Mr N. Blundell and Mr J. Newman as the deputy captains. For the Rivers Bush Fire Brigade, Mr N. C. Milson was its first captain, with Mr Vern Buckmaster as the deputy captain.
Around 1962 the brigades merged and renamed themselves Fairlight-The Rivers Bush Fire Brigade.
In 1972, because of the urban development in the Weston Creek and Kambah areas, it was decided to merge the remmnant areas of the Kambah Bush Fire Brigade with Fairlight-The Rivers Bush Fire Brigade. This composite brigade was called Uriarra-Stromlo-Central South and Fairlight (in N.S.W.). The area covered included the old Fairlight-The Rivers Brigade area plus land lying east to Jerrabomberra Creek, south to Kambah Pool Road and running up to the Cotter Road, excluding urban areas.
In 1980 Bush Fire Council allocated a Bedford tanker to this composite brigade, to be garaged at Fairlight.
At a meeting on 31 August 1989, the Fairlight Bush Fire Brigade decided to confine its operations to New South Wales.
At the instigation of Bush Fire Council a public meeting was held on 10 October 1989, at Stomlo Depot, to decide if a new Bush Fire Brigade should be set up covering the old Fairlight-The Rivers Brigade area in the A.C.T. The meeting voted in favour of setting up a new brigade. Simon Katz 'volunteered' to become the captain of Rivers Volunteer Bushfire Brigade. On 11 October 1989 BFC endorsed the formation of the new Brigade.
Until this time rural fire brigades had been manned by landholders, their families and their employees. This system had worked well enough up to a stage with landholders attending fires, for the most part close to home. But with the growth of urban Canberra, Rivers made the decision to recruit members from suburbs lying close to the brigade's area. Many young people volunteered and the system has worked well, but with a high turn-over of members, but a consistent nucleus of dedicated members have stayed.
At the Brigade's AGM on 29 October 1992, it was decided to write to the Australian Capital Territory BFC requesting a permanent fire shed be built for the Brigade. At this time the Brigade's resources were being housed on Bernie & Simon Katz's property 'Milaparu'.
For the next couple of years various sites were proposed, offers made and withdrawn. In September 1994 the Brigade was given the tempary use of the old CSIRO's experimental sawmill site on the corner of Eucumbene Drive and Cotter Road.
In September 1995 a site was offered by Australian Capital Territory Forests just off the Cotter Road, and access was granted by Louis Margules who held the adjacent land. On Thursday 13 June 1996 construction was commenced and on Sunday 1 December 1996 the Brigade moved in to their new home.
The Australian Capital Territory Government in November 1996 made the decision to co-locate Australian Capital Territory Emergency Service personnel with the volunteer bushfire brigades and on 1 February a number of Emergency Service volunteers from the Phillip Depot moved in to the Rivers Shed. Shortly after a second shed was constructed on the site to provide a training room and additional storage/vehicle garaging for the Brigade.
Finally some 70 years after the Bush Fire Control Organisation first setup a fire depot in the River's area, the Minister for Australian Capital Territory Police and Emergency Services, Gary Humphries opened the Rivers Shed on Saturday 21 June 1997.