Devoted to the history of fire fighting in the country, the Firefighters Museum in Calgary allows visitors a unique opportunity to get a glimpse of the illustrious past of these brave men in uniform.
The museum, which is managed by retired firefighters, houses a collection of over 3,000 exhibits. Here, you will find the Magruis, which is one of Calgary Fire Fighting Department's original apparatus. This vintage fire truck was built in the year of 1929. The collection of apparatus also includes a 1954 Seagrave Pumper and a couple of hand-drawn chemical wagons. You can also view two Bickle Hose tenders which date right back to the year of 1928. The museum also displays an array of pictures which depict the Calgary of 1873 and then progress to detail the transition from a fort to a city. The collection also includes pictures of some of Calgary's most famous fires and the only known photo of the Calgary riot of 1917. This collection of restored photographs includes more than four hundred depictions which take every visitor to the museum through an overwhelming trip down memory lane.
You can even take a simulated ride on a fire truck and view the collection of uniforms which reflect the changing times. The museum also houses turn-of-the-century firefighting equipment like helmets, nozzles, hoses and logbooks which are chronologically arranged to illustrate the history of firefighting in this city. You will even find the original switchboard from the first alarm room for the Calgary department here. If you're planning to visit in a group, you can even call ahead and arrange for a special tour of the museum.
The Gift shop offers you an array of memorabilia like apparatus pins, brass nozzles, museum society license plates and even t shirts and belt buckles.
You can visit the Firefighters Museum from 10.30 am to 4 pm, Thursdays through Mondays.
For further information, you can refer to the website www.firefightersmuseum.org or call (403) 246-3322.
The Firefighters Museum
4124 - 11 Street S.E.
Calgary, Alberta T2G 3H2
