The project is unique for both its workmanship and focus on literacy. While there is a fire truck at Clearbrook Library in Abbotsford, B.C., it was not handcrafted out of wood and is used for audio-visual presentations.

Livesey said the project's high quality makes it all the more effective in achieving the goal of encouraging children to learn about fire safety.
 
"It does what our public educators do - it teaches fire safety to kids," Livesey said. With this project, "we have an avenue to promote fire safety. We have the kids coming to us now as well as us going to them - and that's a big step forward."

To Surrey Fire Chief Len Garis, the project's success is "gratifying."

"We hoped that it would work and so far it looks like it's doing its job. It's developing some intrinsic interest in learning about fire," Garis said. "It kind of speaks to public education in the truest form. We have kids reading, and reading about fire safety and the fire service in general. It meets a bunch of objectives."

Published in August 2004 edition of Firefighting in Canada (1,492 words)