A big red fire truck is inside a Calgary library, and it’s open for visitors

April 15, 2024 Canuck

After helping to fight fires for 18 years, a Calgary fire truck has hit the brakes for good.

Engine 23, decommissioned from the Calgary Fire Department, has a found a new home at Fish Creek Library, where it will act as an interactive early learning centre for children.

Visitors will be able to sit in the driver’s seat, listen to recorded emergency calls and explore real switches and levers in the cab of the engine.

“I have to say there is something about a fire truck that just captures your attention,” said Sarah Meilleur, CEO of the Calgary Public Library, at a news conference on Monday.

“Its distinctive, it ignites curiosity, and it represents hope and safety in a moment of crisis.”

Kids stand next to a red fire truck wearing plastic red fire fighting helmets. — Children explore Engine 23 at the Fish Creek Library on Monday. (Mike Symington/CBC)

In 2016, the fire truck was decommissioned and placed in the old Central Library in downtown Calgary. It was then put into storage for five years before it was installed at the Fish Creek Library in the city’s southeast.

Weighing in at 20 tonnes, the truck was lifted by crane through an opening in the library’s roof last spring.

“Engine 23 is a space for kids to indulge their curiosity, to explore all these different ways to learn,” said Meilleur.

A fire truck is suspended in mid-air above a building. — A photo of Engine 23 being lifted into Fish Creek Library by crane on April 22, 2023. (Scott Dippel/CBC)

Calgary fire Chief Steve Dongworth said it was an exciting day for the city’s fire department.

“We believe at Calgary Fire that it’s important that children get to read, often, and that’s the fundamental piece about this. It’s about encouraging literacy.

“But also we can deliver some fire safety education, some of the history of the fire service, and also hopefully recruit some young firefighters one day.”

The project was entirely donor funded, according to Tracy Johnson, CEO of the Calgary Public Library Foundation.

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