Calgary fire truck ready for play and adventure at Fish Creek Library
A library in southeast Calgary now has a decommissioned fire truck for children to play with.
Engine 23 officially opened at Fish Creek Library on Bonaventure Drive S.E. on Monday.
The truck helped crews fight fires for 18 years before being donated to Calgary Public Library.
It was located at the old Central Library downtown, but was moved into storage in 2018 as the site was closed and the library moved to its new location in the East Village.
Officials with the Calgary Public Library say they were looking for the right opportunity to bring the fire truck back.
Engine 23 was moved to Fish Creek Library last spring.
Opened in 1985, Fish Creek is the Calgary Public Library's largest location and easily identifiable because of its glass roof and unique architecture designed to resemble the Rocky Mountains.
To get Engine 23 inside the library, the truck, which weighs more than 20 tonnes, was lifted by crane and slid into a small opening between the peaks of the glass roof. It now sits on the second floor.
A crane is used to life Engine 23 into Calgary's Fish Creek Library. (Calgary Public Library) Calgary Public Library CEO Sarah Meilleur says Engine 23 will help nurture creativity and innovation.
Children can sit in the driver’s seat, listen to pre-recorded emergency calls and explore real switches and levers in the back cab, or they can climb up to the top of the truck to find a neighbourhood map to practice their navigation skills.
In addition, an accessible cab will provide an authentic experience for children and parents who may have mobility challenges.
Calgary Fire Department chief Steve Dongworth says kids will be able to use Engine 23 to play together, learn life-saving fire safety tips and create their own adventures.
"Not only are we encouraging reading and literacy as a lifelong skill, but we are giving children a fun and engaging way to learn about everything from basic fire safety to navigation skills and even potentially a future career path," Dongworth said in a news release.
The installation of the fire truck was made possible through to the Calgary Public Library Foundation.
For more information about Engine 23 and its opening celebrations, you can visit the Calgary Public Library's website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
Conservatives, NDP should be 'celebrating' EV deals: industry minister
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne says federal opposition parties should be 'celebrating' the recently announced electric vehicle deals, despite their criticisms the Liberals refuse to make public the terms and conditions laid out in the contracts.
Banking mogul suing government after intelligence leaks leave him shut out of Canadian economy
Chinese Canadian banking mogul Shenglin Xian has launched a $300 million lawsuit against the federal government. It’s a means to find the source of intelligence leaks which Xian says has cost him his livelihood.
His SUV was stolen on Montreal's South Shore. Then he got a $156 parking ticket
A couple is frustrated after their SUV was stolen from Montreal's South Shore in March and they received a parking ticket for the same vehicle last week.
Jesus is their saviour, Trump is their candidate. Ex-president's backers say he shares faith, values
As Donald Trump increasingly infuses his campaign with Christian trappings while coasting to a third Republican presidential nomination, his support is as strong as ever among evangelicals and other conservative Christians.
Box tree moths have infested Ontario and experts say more are coming. Here's what to do to protect your garden
An invasive moth species is on the rise in Canada and, if you've planted a certain shrub, it could stand to ruin your garden.
Signs of Alzheimer’s were everywhere. Then his brain improved
Blood biomarkers of telltale signs of early Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of his patient, 55-year-old entrepreneur Simon Nicholls, had all but disappeared in a mere 14 months.
VIA Rail service delayed for hours due to suspicious package investigation in Kingston, Ont.
VIA Rail service resumed in the Kingston, Ont. area late Saturday afternoon, after a suspicious package investigation halted train service for more than four hours over the Victoria Day long weekend.
Woman with liver failure rejected for a transplant after medical review highlights alcohol use
For nearly three months, Amanda Huska has been in an Ontario hospital, part of it on life support, because of severe liver failure. Her history of alcohol use is getting in the way of her only potential treatment: a liver transplant.