JVCKenwood Canada awards Paint Lake Volunteer Fire Department $10,000 grant

Jan. 5, Mississauga, Ont. — Paint Lake Volunteer Fire Department is the 2021 recipient of the $10,000 Kenwood Cares grant awarded by JVCKenwood Canada. The Kenwood Cares grant gives non-profit volunteer organizations $10,000 in Kenwood communications equipment.

Located approximately 30-kilometres south of Thompson, Man., Paint Lake is a hotspot for outdoor adventurers. For over 25 years, its fire department has been serving the residents, businesses, and seasonal campers in Paint Lake Provincial Park and surrounding area. The volunteer service also works in cooperation with Thompson Fire & Emergency Services and the provincial helitac program through a mutual aid agreement.

“We operate a command vehicle and two fire trucks, using pumps that draw water from Paint Lake and Liz Lake in order to action fires. Our relay system to do this has been through visual hand signals to indicate operations, a process often impaired by natural obstacles, smoke, darkness, and the actual noise from the pumps,” said Stephen Barlow, deputy fire chief for Paint Lake Volunteer Fire Department in a news release. “The radios that we receive through this grant will greatly improve our communication on the fire line. We are honoured and grateful for the grant we are receiving from Kenwood to purchase VHF handheld radios.”

Paint Lake Fire Department was selected as the winner after the JVCKenwood team reviewed a diverse and inspiring group of applications from across Canada, reported a media statement. This is the seventh year that JVCKenwood has coordinated this program, and applications from volunteer organizations across the country continue to grow each year, stated the company.

Applications are now open for the 2022 Kenwood Cares grant program. The submission deadline is Jan. 31. For full details, visit kenwoodcares.ca.