Karen Fry, the former fire chief for Nanaimo Fire Rescue, was one of 54 recipients of the King Chares III Coronation Medal, on Tuesday, Aug. 27. (File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

high honours

Former Nanaimo Fire Chief awarded King’s Coronation Medal

Aug 28, 2024 | 2:22 PM

NANAIMO — The city’s former top firefighter has received a high honour.

Karen Fry, chief of Nanaimo Fire Rescue from summer 2017 to early January 2021, was one of 54 recipients of the King Charles III Coronation Medal, via B.C. Lieutenant Governor Janet Austin during a ceremony on Tuesday, Aug. 27.

The medal “recognizes those who have made significant contributions to Canada and their home province”, according to the province.

It was bestowed upon Fry specifically for her “dedicated service as an honourary aide-de-camp to the Lieutenant Governor since 2023”.

Fry’s connection to the mid-Island goes back to at least the late 1990s, when she was hired as a dispatcher for the department.

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She rose the ranks at many fire departments, including deputy chief of the Surrey Fire Service, before returning to Nanaimo.

During her tenure, she also oversaw the bylaw department, municipal police and emergency management.

Her hiring to the position in Vancouver made her the department’s first ever permanent female chief.

Tim Doyle replaced Fry roughly six weeks after her departure and continues to serve in the role.

Other recipients of the medal included former Premiers Christy Clark and John Horgan, along with former Vancouver mayor Gordon Campbell.

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