City of Nanaimo appoints new Fire Chief

Karen Fry takes up post as City's first female Fire Chief

Summary

The City of Nanaimo has appointed Karen Fry to the position of Fire Chief. Chief Fry's career in community fire fighting and fire prevention spans 18 years, beginning in 1999 with Nanaimo Fire hiring her as a dispatcher. Since then she has carried out a progressive range of duties in the roles of Captain overseeing infomatics and communications (City of Nanaimo), Deputy Fire Chief of Communications (City of Surrey), Deputy Fire Chief of Administration and Support Services (City of Nanaimo) and most recently, Acting Fire Chief (City of Nanaimo).

Link to Strategic Plan: Taking responsibility to be an excellent municipality.

Key Points

  • Chief Fry's appointment as the female head of a career-structured fire department is a first for both the City of Nanaimo and Vancouver Island and second for British Columbia.
  • Chief Fry holds a degree in business and liberal studies from Simon Fraser University and has attended several leadership courses through the Municipal Administration Training Institute.
  • She replaces Chief Craig Richardson who retired in the spring of 2017.

Quotes

"The City is pleased to have our first female Fire Chief, but more importantly, we’re happy to have found the right Fire Chief for our department and organization. Karen’s past work in the role of Deputy Chief really stood out and her firm but fair approach to problem solving has earned her the respect of her colleagues and crews. She has consistently demonstrated an ability to think critically, to take a high-level approach when resolving operational issues and to get things done. We are delighted she has accepted this important leadership role."

CAO
City of Nanaimo

"It's an honour to receive the support that led to this appointment. As Chief I will continue to carry out Council’s strategic direction while ensuring that Nanaimo Fire remains a leader in the fire service. Key priorities for me include implementing our recently adopted Fire Plan, reducing harm by ensuring that our community is protected with working smoke alarms, improving our residents' understanding of fire risks and making sure our employees have the support and resources they need when exposed to physical and emotional trauma.

Firefighters provide considerable value to our community including first responders, hazardous material mitigation, motor vehicle accidents and, of course, fire response. Under my leadership, be prepared to see our incredible firefighters out in the public and engaging the community more. They will take on opportunities to provide fire safety education, install free smoke alarms and teach bystander CPR and emergency planning."

Fire Chief
City of Nanaimo

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Contact:

Karen Fry
Fire Chief
City of Nanaimo
250-755-4583
Philip Cooper
Communication and Engagement Director
City of Nanaimo
250-755-4532

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