The tour of the fire department took about one hour. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

safety

Cameco donates $80,000 for new equipment at La Ronge Regional Fire Department

May 26, 2022 | 4:06 PM

An $80,000 donation from Cameco will enable the La Ronge Regional Fire Department to purchase new battery-powered extraction equipment.

Cameco CEO Tim Gitzel attended a tour of the La Ronge fire hall with fire chief Keaton Cloud Thursday at 2 p.m. The event was also attended by Lac La Ronge Indian Band Chief Tammy Cook-Searson, Air Ronge Coun. Tabitha Burr, as well as local firefighters.

Cloud explained it’s not very often such a large donation is made to the department.

“It’s really nice to see they approved our request,” he said. “That donation will go towards replacing a lot of the aging equipment we have on the rescue truck. That’s equipment we can actually use today, so we can purchase it and use it right now.”

The fire department provides vehicle extraction services to approximately 1,200 kilometres of roadways, more than any other department in Saskatchewan. That includes parts of Highways 2, 102 and 106, along with provincial roads 905, 912, 915, 935 and 936, and all roads in between.

Made in Saskatchewan

Find My Plus One: The Canadian App for Getting Out and Living Your Best Life

Mar 09, 2026

Riderville

Ask Not for Whom the Ed Hervey Tampering Window Opens!

Feb 02, 2026

Seniors Scene

New Year - New Habits

Feb 02, 2026

The current rescue truck used is more than 20 years old, but Cloud noted a new one has been ordered and it will arrive in 2024. The new extraction equipment the truck will carry will be capable of cutting through metals used in present day vehicles.

The $80,000 will purchase extraction equipment, which will eventually be used on a new rescue truck. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

“Everything on this truck will be battery powered. There won’t be any fuel at all,” Cloud said.

In awarding the donation, Gitzel stated safety is the top priority at Cameco so it makes sense for the company to support such purchases. He noted many of Cameco’s employees come from the tri-communities.

“The chief (Cloud) reached out to us and we were interested right away,” Gitzel said. “We have a lot of trucks going through this community and we have a lot of employees here, so we just said this fits perfectly with Cameco’s emphasis on safety and giving back to the communities.”

The La Ronge Regional Fire Department has two full-time employees and 30 paid, on-call firefighter positions. The department provides services to 11 communities.

–

derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @saskjourno