A park on Anarchist Mountain is being renamed as the Jamie Soule Memorial Park to remember the former deputy fire chief who passed away on Jan. 1.  (Facebook/Kimberly Soule)

By Vanessa Broadbent

Osoyoos Times

A park on Anarchist Mountain is being renamed to honour Jamie Soule, former deputy fire chief of the Anarchist Mountain Fire Department who passed away on Jan. 1.

At their meeting on Thursday, the Regional District Okanagan Similkameen approved a request from the Anarchist Mountain Community Society that an area informally known as Sasquatch Park be renamed as Jamie Soule Memorial Park.

The property, acquired by the regional district in 2010, is adjacent to a pond north of Highway 3 that sources water to the fire department.

The Anarchist Mountain Community Society voted to support renaming of the park at a meeting in January, former president Mark McKenney wrote in a letter to the regional district board.

Soule regularly plowed snow for his neighbours, helped build a ramp, and was an active volunteer in the community McKenney said.

He also built a pump house control shed at the park to allow for rehabilitation of the pond.

• Read more: Anarchist Mountain community mourns deputy fire chief after sudden passing

“Jamie was always helping friends and neighbours in the community,” McKenney said. “Jaime was always there to help.”

Anarchist Mountain fire chief Urs Grob recalled working with Soule. Having served on the department since 2012 and as deputy fire chief since 2015, Soule was an integral member in the department, Grob said.

“His life experience, his managerial skills and his ability to mentor new recruits and seasoned fire department members made his presence a positive force for many years.

“Jaime was our ‘go-to’ person for maintaining our fleet of fire fighting apparatus and equipment. As retired millwright and carpenter, he was always part of our work project to repair equipment or take on construction projects.”

All members and officers of the fire department unanimously agreed that renaming the park would be a fitting tribute to Soule, Grob said.

“Naming it Jamie Soule Memorial Park would be an appropriate legacy to a man that served his community so unselfishly.”

Signage and a bench with a memorial plaque will be installed at the park.