Updates coming

   The April showers came in various types of precipitation and seemed to have gale-force winds to go with them. 

   There were several District fire schools held over the last few weeks around the state. I hope you were able to make it to one of them, whether for something new or review. 

   State Fire School is 12-14 June in Watertown. Take a look at the courses. There is something for every level of experience. We had to wait a little bit longer to open registration because some of our courses were in Federal funding limbo. So, if the registration button was closed last time you checked, check again. We will send out an email blast and social media when it is open. 

   Firefighting isn’t just about fire, hoses, and nozzles. Scene size-up, incident command, and documenting and preserving what happened are equally important. Even if you’re new to the fire service, understanding what you do while fighting fire has a direct correlation on what takes place after the fire is out.

   Could you write down everything you did, saw, and performed during an incident and feel confident enough to compare it to a video of what you actually did? Whether a fire, car accident, EMS, training exercise, or something spoken. See how you compare. Because in today’s world, there was probably a cell phone, traffic camera, security camera, car mirror camera, or doorbell camera that may have evidence to help us out. 

   Cameras can help show what we did right, did or didn’t do, and what we can learn from it. 

   Jeremy Walla and I will be at the NVFC Spring Conference in Washington DC the first week in May. We will be visiting with our congressional teams about fire service related issues. Especially the FEMA and Homeland Security grant programs that have been paused. 

   The NFPA Standards to OSHA regulation proposal status will be a continued topic of several committees. We will have a full report in the June newsletter.

   We will also be presenting the official invitation to everyone for the 2025 NVFC Fall Conference that will be hosted by the SDFA in Rapid City on 21-24 September. 

   The roll out of the National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS) for submitting your incident reports will be starting across the country in May. The system will be stepped out at different times according to FEMA Regions. The region for South Dakota is slated for November. Each department will need to register for their department account. 

   The new NERIS system will be replacing the system currently used by the state. However, if you have a software program you are using, contact your software company or they may send a download patch to sync with the new system. 

   Remember, in order to be eligible for State or Federal funds, your department is required to file incident reports. 

   Chief Deputy Fire Marshal Doug Hinkle has been part of the testing of the NERIS program and will discuss it in his course at State Fire School. There are plans to have training sessions at various district fire schools and the fall conference. Go to the NERIS website for an introduction. 

   I would like to congratulate Chief Pete Bolzer of Brookings Fire Department on his retirement with over 45 years of various fire service to his retirement resume. A wonderful public servant. 

   Congratulations, also, to Chief Ron Hines on his retirement from the Huron Fire Department. He still plans to remain on the Cavour volunteer fire department because they will let him drive a fire truck. If he gets there in time. 

   And to all the parents and seniors on their upcoming graduations. Best wished to all of you.

   Until next time. Stay safe,

Charlie Kludt,

SDFA President