In Alberta, since 2016 Calgary Public Library (CPL) and Calgary Fire Department (CFD) have teamed up to support each other’s expertise in community safety and literacy. These partners’ joint programs and events engage community members and delight children.

One of the most visible parts of this ongoing partnership is Engine 23, pictured here. What better way to put the partnership on display than putting a real fire truck inside a library? Originally placed in the old Central Library, Engine 23 — a decommissioned fire truck — reopened to families in April 2024 on the second floor of Fish Creek Library, the largest community library in Calgary.

The 20-tonne fire truck proved to be a showstopper, drawing more than 100,000 visits to Fish Creek Library in the first four months. It features real switches and levers, an upper level to climb, and a tunnel to crawl through as children learn what to do in an emergency.

When the Engine 23 project was in its planning stages, it was a priority that all children could take part in interactive play. It’s through immersive full body play that children can grow their early learning and literacy skills, build their imaginations, and learn important safety lessons. Experts from both CPL and CFD were able to collaborate and find a solution that would make Engine 23 something everyone could experience.

Beyond the full size Engine 23 at Fish Creek, Calgary Fire Department’s presence can be felt across the city at Library locations with mini Engine 23 trucks in Early Learning Centres for young children to climb on, read in, and pretend they are racing across the city.

The partnership beteween CPL and CFD began, though, with guest storytimes from a firefighter. It quickly evolved as the two organizations saw shared purpose and opportunity.

The partnership also extends beyond Engine 23. Initiatives like the Readers and Leaders program bring literacy and life-saving safety education directly into Calgary schools. This outreach initiative delivered across approximately 24 schools in Calgary with several emergency services partners engages children at a young age and encourages safe behaviours while promoting the importance of literacy. Through this partnership, CFD provides students with essential tools and knowledge to stay safe and reduce the risk of fires, injuries, and property damage in emergency situations. It also allows children to get to know their community firefighters on a more personal level.

Weekly firefighter storytimes are also well-attended and loved. At the storytimes, you can see the way young children attentively listen and want to learn from the firefighters. Firefighters are real life superheroes who are able to inspire our leaders of tomorrow.

Creating fire safety booklets and ice safety worksheets gave CFD an opportunity to share their knowledge with a wider audience. The Library took the information and, with expertise in early learning and literacy, developed the materials in a way that would make safety lessons fun and accessible for young people. Close to 200,000 of these booklets have been distributed to children in Calgary over the last five years. They are carried on every operational fire truck and are considered to be the most handed out item by firefighters.

Partnership story updated January 9, 2026. This vignette is part of a collection of stories celebrating public library partnerships created to encourage more partnerships between public libraries and a wide-range of partners.