Photo: Contributed

Firefighter Karl Featherstone with the Lake Country Fire Department has passed away.

Featherstone was a part of the fire department since 2009 as an on-call firefighter. He was known for his calm, diligent and exemplary attendance at all practices and call outs. 

The longtime firefighter received the Station 71 Firefighter of the Year award in 2018, best attendance to emergency call outs and practices in 2014 and a ten-year service pin in 2019. He worked in local fire, medical and motor vehicle incidents which required immediate response. 

Featherstone also provided mutual aid at the Penticton Christie Mountain wildfire this past summer.

“Karl was well respected by everyone at the fire department,” says Deputy Chief Brent Penner. “He was self-employed so he could manage his schedule to be home with his family as much as possible and would often jog down to Station 71 from home to work out. He took pride in his carpentry work and was known for doing a great job in anything he took on. His family and service to his community were very important to him.”

The 47-year-old suffered a cardiac medical emergency at his home in the early hours of last Sunday. 

“After being with the department for 11 years, he has touched more local lives than most people can imagine and has definitely been involved in saving more than a few lives himself,” says an LCFD paid-on-call firefighter colleague. “Karl was an extremely popular guy and an absolute pleasure to work alongside through good times and bad.”

“The passing of Karl Featherstone is a tragic loss,” adds Fire Chief Steve Windsor. “He was a hard-working and well-respected man. We extend our deepest condolences to his family – especially his wife and two young children, friends and members of the LCFD as we mourn his loss.”