Summertime Busy
Did you submit your State Fire Grant application by August 1st?!?
Summertime can be a fun time. A time for picnics and reunions, vacations and camping, fishing and swimming, lightning bugs and ball games, and soaking up the summer sun. Then there is storm watch, tornadoes & winds, flash flooding, lighting fires, wildland fires, baler fires, tractor fires, car fires and many other incident types that will require us to get geared up in the blistering heat.
Let’s face it. When a town or anyone needs help, the fire department is usually the first that is called upon.
Every small town has a local event of some sort that draws in the locals and surrounding areas, family and school reunions, parades, food, fun, with all the lemonade and Fresca you can drink.
But we have some busy times coming up all over the state. County Fairs, Sturgis Rally, final vacations before school starts and before you know it, the State Fair and Labor Day is here. Not to mention all the school activities and school classes starting.
Now, and anytime, is a good time for a review of your procedures for large event incidents. Have you practiced all the steps it would take if you had a bus or multiple vehicle accident? Even a multi-casualty incident at your community weekend festival could be a real challenge on your resources and man power. A little pre-planning could help.
Practice for common and probable items first. Sure, anything could happen, but how likely is?
I present a course on aviation incidents. How often do you have an airplane crash in your area? But some of you have military aircraft flying over you on a regular basis. Do you know what to do? Or even more important, what not to do? I’ll be at Badlands District to talk about it and look at some aircraft.
There will be a District Fire Schools coming up in a couple regions around the state. Check the SDFA websites or Fire Marshal notices for dates and places.
I hope you have a safe rest of the summer.
Charlie Kludt
SDFA President