Bystanders hurled snow balls at a burning wooden house in Calgary, more than 125 years ago.
The crude firefighting technique didn’t save the residence which burned to the grounds within 20 minutes, but it triggered the need for an organized system and gave birth to the city’s fire department.
This incident is among the significant events chronicled in a coffee table book by the Calgary Fire Department launched Friday at the Kerby Centre.
The drama-filled book entitled, “Yours for Life: 125 Years of Courage, Compassion and Service from the Calgary Fire Department,” takes readers from the days of horse drawn fire vehicles, through many of the city’s major fires, to today’s modern firefighting methods and challenges.
Deputy Chief Ken Uzeloc reminded members of the Kerby Centre, which has long-standing ties with the department, some of the most spectacular blazes that ravaged different parts of the city.
In 1912, a massive fire destroyed buildings in Chinatown area, which in January was hit by another significant blaze.
“Things tend to come full circle,” Uzeloc told members of the senior centre on hand at the book launch.
A fire in 1913 at the then Burns Packing Plant reduced to ashes not just the building but also piles of meat.
In 1984, emergency crews took out a large fire at the airport after a plane attempted to take off but failed.
But nothing could rival the fire at the Hub Oil refinery in 1999, with plumes and explosions witnessed by Calgarians from kilometres away, said Uzeloc.
The department has changed, improved and expanded over the years and now has 36 fire stations, said Uzeloc.
The book costs $35 plus GST and can be bought from the Firefighters Museum of Calgary by calling
403-243-3322 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 403-243-3322 end_of_the_skype_highlighting or by contacting firebook@calgary.ca
All proceeds go to the Firefighters Museum. The cost of publishing the book was covered by sponsorships
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