One for the small towns
One for all the small towns
I need to apologize to our office staff and everyone that may have noticed, for an error, which was my fault, concerning event information for the Memorial Service that was sent out in August. I had approved the information for the Fall Conference and overlooked an item in the schedule.
The SD Fallen Fighters Memorial service will be on Sunday, September 27th at 1:00pm in Pierre.
Congratulations to Rockerville Fire Chief Gail Schmidt on being awarded 2026 Volunteer Fire Chief of the Year by the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC).
The IAFC award was presented at the Fire Rescue International conference in Kansas City on August 12th.
This award is a great commendation for Chief Gail, the Rockerville VFD, Black Hills region, and the entire South Dakota fire service. Sharing the recognition with all the people and departments she is privileged to work together with on a regular basis.
When we hosted the NVFC Fall conference last year, it allowed us to showcase the aspects of the various agencies working together and the accomplishments coming from it. From seeing the differences in fire mitigation and prevention on private, state, and Federal lands in the Hills, to the wide open rangelands and Badlands.
We had NVFC members from several states go to a department pancake fundraiser in Fairburn. If you aren’t sure where that it is, check a map. It was the perfect definition of what so many of our departments and firefighters do across the state.
There are several events taking place over the next few weeks.
The SD Fallen Fighters Memorial service will be on Sunday, September 27th at 1:00 p.m. in Pierre. The service will include the addition of Murdo firefighter Nick Van Dam. If you have not attending the service before, please, make plans as we honor all those lost in their service to the state of South Dakota.
There are district fire schools being held around the state. Badlands district will be in Winner on Saturday September 19th. Northwest district will be in Java on the 20th. Check the listings for classes.
You can be from any district and attend these trainings. If you see something you like, make the trip.
October 2-4 is the Fall Fire Conference being held at the Pete Lien & Sons Shooting complex in rural Piedmont, north of Rapid City. We have a great set of sessions that can appeal to all levels of emergency services. Email notifications were sent out and check the SDFA websites for registration details.
The SDFA Board of Directors will be meeting on Friday, October 2nd for their fall board meeting. If you have items for the board to consider, contact your district director to get it on our agenda.
The National Volunteer Fire Council Fall Conference will be in September at Owensboro, Ky. We will have a full report in the October news. Check the NVFC.org website for free training and grant opportunities for your department.
Fire Prevention Week 2026 is October 4-10 with the theme, “Charge into Fire Safety: Safe Charging Is a Superpower,” focuses on lithium-ion battery charging safety. Check out the NFPA website www.NFPA.org for details and informational ideas.
Until next moth,
Stay safe,
Charlie Kludt
SDFA President