Thoughts from your Treasurer
First and most important, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. I hope that your Christmas is filled with happiness and joy as we celebrate the birth of our Lord. After this past year of all the election hype and all that went on, hopefully we all can just thank the Lord for what America has to offer.
Another reminder is that this December issue will be the last one printed and mailed to you. In January those that we have email addresses for will be receiving the paper in their Inbox. Which is your queue to also look in your Spam/Junk folder for the paper each month. You never know where those electronic wizards are going to send stuff to.
In conjunction with the emailing of the paper, please change where you will be sending your dues checks for 2025. Our new mailing address is 514 Americas Way 23560, Box Elder 57719. The real key there is to include the 23560 after the address. You certainly can remit online also and then you don’t have to worry about the address change.
Over the past several weeks I’m sure most of us have watched the wildland fires they have been having on the east coast. It seems that in past years we would sort of chuckle about a “massive” wildfire in New York state and it was reported as 30 acre’s or less. This year was different, they were having thousands of acres. Our hearts were hurt when an 18-year-old firefighter died after being hit by a tree. Our thoughts are with all the firefighters “back east”.
The Mobile Live Fire Trailers seem to have been getting a workout these past months. One unit was in Lemmon and then Belle Fourche for a couple of classes and I know it has been used around Tea and other places. That’s good. That’s why the state bought them for us. There have been a few technical issues and Draeger has been taking care of them under warranty. One of the best ways you can help everyone is if you go through the Train the Trainer class, give a fair evaluation. We can only make them better when we know what to improve on. Keep requesting them for your schools and training.
As I close for this month and the last article for 2024, I would like to thank the Board of Directors of the South Dakota Firefighters Association. Charlie your consistent steady hand and leadership is great to follow. Ron as past Vice-president and all the work you did in coordinating the mobile live fire trailers was beyond words. Rick Gustad for all the time you spend with registration, and everything else in Growth Zone so firefighters can attend classes. Rick George for working with instructors and always searching for new ones that’s a thankless job in bringing high level instruction to our firefighters. Don Ward who is always willing to go and represent South Dakota firefighters at regional conferences and looking to improve training for all. Dave Jorgensen is a steady voice and never fails to pitch in with anything. Mark Stoks is a great representative from the Northeast, who lends his talents at registration and fallen fighter’s memorial service. Chad Baumgarten who is always pushing the Board to do better, to give more to the firefighters. Jason Mosterd who no matter what it is, seems to have a great ability to get it done. Cherise Evans the newest member who will be bringing new ideas, challenging everyone as to why do we do it this way. Samara Erickson who has the thankless job of secretary. Thank you Samara for stepping up, no one knows all that you do, except me. A special thank you to Mike Jones with the Fire Marshal’s office. Mike may not be an official member of the Board but what he does in helping line up NFA classes and all the others is huge. The South Dakota Firefighters Auxiliary for all they do at fire school, fall conference in working with the vendors.
The entire South Dakota Fire Service is better for all that these individuals put into their nonpaid jobs. I personally say THANK YOU to each of you. What a privilege and honor to work with and for each of you this past year.
Stay safe this season and all year.
Dennis Gorton, SDFA Past President/Treasurer