The District of Squamish says it has missed an important step in renaming Alex Munro Fire Hall as Squamish Fire Hall Number 1. 
“We want to acknowledge we missed an important step along the way in that we should have attempted to reach family members,” said Megan Latimer, Director of Public Safety at the District of Squamish.
“Our intention has always been to continue to honour the Munro name while improving the logistics of our fire hall. We have been in contact with the Munro family through Janice DesJardins, and are working to repair this relationship moving forward.”
Janice DesJardins, the grand-daughter of Alex Munro, wants the District to change the name back to Alex Munro Fire Hall, as it was originally called. She says the family was never consulted when District decided to change the name, a violation of the District’s own policy, which calls for engagement with family and the public, including community associations before renaming a building.
Importantly, the District’s Commemorative Naming Policy also calls for greater public input when an asset is renamed.
The policy states: “The renaming process shall be identical to the commemorative naming process and also require Municipal Council as the final authority for approving the proposed asset, park, trail or facility name. The renaming process differs in that it entails the discarding of an old name, which most likely has become an important part of community identity. Thus the need for public input is even greater.”
Megan Latimer, Director of Public Safety at the District of Squamish, says the District of Squamish and Squamish Fire Rescue have every intention of continuing to honour and preserve our town’s history and the history of the Squamish Fire Department. Plans for continued commemoration of Fire Chief Alex Munro have been underway since initial discussions of a new fire hall began, she says.
Though the District has admitted that it has violated its own policy by renaming Alex Munro Fire Hall as Squamish Fire Hall Number 1, there is no clarity yet if it plans to restore the original name.
Last week, after DesJardins informed The Squamish Reporter, it reported on the District removing the original name of the fire hall.
