Stories

New Fire Safety Activity Books Now Available Across Calgary

January 20, 2020

MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 20, 2020

Calgary, AB – The Calgary Fire Department and Calgary Public Library are proud to announce a new joint project to help all children in Calgary learn about fire safety. Starting Tuesday, January 21, 2020, all library locations and fire halls in Calgary will begin distributing a new Fire Safety Activity Booklet.

“Knowing about fire safety is critical for children,” says Steve Dongworth, Chief, Calgary Fire Department. “We are very grateful to the Calgary Public Library for their support in this initiative. Both their credibility with parents and accessibility to all Calgarians makes them an ideal partner in fire safety.”

The Fire Safety Activity Booklet teaches kids all about home safety and the life of a firefighter through colouring sheets, puzzles, and games designed to engage school-aged learners. While a popular teaching tool, the activity book previously had not been updated in over 12 years. Calgary Fire approached the Library to help them update the booklet in early 2019.

“Calgary Fire has been a great partner to the Library and we were eager to help them update this important fire safety tool,” says Mark Asberg, CEO of Calgary Public Library, "Linking safety and literacy with accessibility ensures that this resource will create safer homes across Calgary."

The fire safety campaign will kick off with a Special Firefighter Storytime at Central Library on January 21 at 10:00 am. Visitors can enjoy a special firefighter storytime, meet real-life firefighters, and pick up a copy of Calgary's new Fire Safety Activity Book!

Thanks to generous support from the Calgary Public Library Foundation, over 75,000 booklets will be made available to Calgarians this year.

For more information on fire safety, please visit calgary.ca/fire

For more information on the new activity book and event details, please visit Calgary Public Library.

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Firefighter Storytime Media Event Details:

Date: Tuesday, January 21 | 10 am – 11 am
Where: Central Library, 800 3 Street SE
What: Fire Safety Booklet Launch
9:30 am Media check-in
10:00 am Welcome and remarks (Fire Chief and Library CEO)
10:15 am Firefighter Storytime
10:45 am Refreshments

Photo opportunities will be available throughout the event. Mark Asberg, CEO of Calgary Public Library, and Steve Dongworth, Calgary Fire Department Chief, will be available for interviews on January 21.

Fire Safety Facts:

The Calgary Fire Department connects with over 1 in 9 Calgarians each year, providing fire safety information through station visits, educational programs and fire safety campaigns, and community events.
Calgarians are at greatest risk for fires in their homes, which are most often due to careless behaviours, cooking or defective electrical appliances.
House fires can double in size every 30 to 60 seconds.
The greatest cause of indoor fire in Calgary happens in the kitchen: an average of 1.2 cooking fires occur every day in our city.
Smoke alarms can save you when you are sleeping: in 2016, an estimated one-third of all fires in Calgary happened between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in half in reported home fires. Smoke and toxic gases emitted from household contents on fire can make a person confused, disoriented or even unconscious after just a few short breaths.
How fast does fire move? Very fast. According to the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA), you could have less than 2 minutes to get out safely after a smoke alarm sounds.

Calgary Fire Department

Serviced by 41 fire stations, The Calgary Fire Department is dedicated to health, safety and vitality of Calgarians, and we deliver our services through an integrated program of emergency fire and medical response, fire prevention, education and enforcement. Our service encompasses responding to fire incidents, critical medical interventions, motor vehicle collisions, hazardous conditions, specialized technical rescues including water rescues, calls for public service assistance, and providing community risk reduction through fire prevention activities.

Calgary Public Library

Calgary Public Library, with 740,000 members and 21 locations, has been inspiring the life stories of Calgarians for more than 100 years. It is currently the second largest library system in Canada and the sixth largest municipal library system in North America, with Calgarians borrowing more than 14.4 million physical and digital items and with 6.9 million in-person visits last year. The awe-inspiring 240,000 sq. ft. new Central Library — the newest gathering place for our city — opened on November 1, 2018.