What do you need..?

What do you need..?

Do you have your department contact information updated with the Fire Marshals Office?

The legislative funded fire grant assistance program information will be coming to your department mail and email you have for your annual department certification in the next few weeks. If you are not sure who is listed or if your certification has been turned in, contact the fire marshals’ office.  

The fire grant, like before, will be for PPE. If you know you will be applying for the grant, I would start putting your needs list and prices together so you are ready when the application period opens. The FMO is anticipating an easier flow since the process is in place. They are making some minor updates and adjustments.

State Fire School class listings are out, and registration is open. We try to have a mix of hand-on and all day classes, as well as, the partial day and classroom settings. Firefighting isn’t just hard work and sweating. 

The election for SDFA President will be taking place at State Fire School on Saturday,13 June. 

The slate of candidates will be announced in the next paper and online.

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) spring conference will be taking place in May at Alexandria, Va. Dan Hodge, Craig Johnson and I will be attending the conference and meeting with our congressional delegates. 

Some of the ongoing concerning fire service issues are the NFPA and OSHA proposal for regulations for specialized, corporate fire brigades and rescue teams to become regulations for all fire departments. The NVFC has a taskforce of individuals working with other fire service organizations to bring to light the actual viability and necessity of making the NFPA standards to OSHA regulations. 

One current proposal is to exclude departments serving populations under 5000. In South Dakota, there are currently 22 communities over 5000 in population. 

Although this raised questions of defining how the population served is determined, it is roughly 70 percent of the 29,500 fire departments in the United States.  It is just under 50 percent of all departments that serve a population of 2500 or less. So, this number is substantial. 

The area served and population served became a side conversation, in that, 70 percent of the U.S. population is served by 18 percent of the mostly fulltime departments. But the coverage area served by volunteer departments was overwhelmingly greater. 

If the proposed regulations were addressing major issues of fire service safety and line of duty deaths, I would fully agree. We all want to be safe and go home after every call. 

The SDFA General Membership meeting will be held during State Fire School on 12 & 13 June. If you topics you would like to discuss, let your district representative know. 

If your department had a current or retired member pass away, we will be honoring them at the Firefighters’ Memorial Service at fire school on Friday evening. If you have someone to add to the honor list, send your department name, their name and, if possible, a photo of the individual to our SDFA email contact. 

Mother’s Day is coming soon. 

See you in Watertown at Fire School,

Stay Safe,

Charlie Kludt

SDFA President