Sun Peaks Volunteer Firefighter Society recently received a $7,000 donation from New Gold, to help fund new wildland firefighting equipment.

New Gold is a mining company with a location in Kamloops. Krystal Kehoe, community relations coordinator, said this funding comes as part of New Gold’s community investment program.

When Sun Peaks’ Volunteer Firefighter Society put in an application to the program for wildfire equipment, Kehoe said the committee knew they wanted to provide support.

“Our number one priority is safety,” Kehoe said. “So it was a good fit for our investment program because we wanted to support safety efforts that really have a long-term sustainable benefit to the community.”

The volunteer firefighters said they are appreciative to receive this donation, as many resources were exhausted last summer during the wildfires. Mark Jones, president of the society, said the money will primarily go towards additional hoses and sprinkler capacity.