"The Pierre Fire Department - working safely and diligently to protect lives and property."
The Pierre Fire Department is a volunteer fire department located in Pierre, the capital of South Dakota. Home to nearly 14,000 residents, the city of Pierre is situated along the eastern banks of the Missouri River in central South Dakota and is a nationally-recognized haven for fishers, hunters and recreationalists.
Currently comprised of just over 62 volunteer firefighters, the department is organized into four engine companies and one aerial ladder company. From these home companies the department also staffs and supports a rescue squad, a rural fire department for rural and wild land fires, a dive rescue squad and a hazmat response team. The department is led by a full-time fire chief, a volunteer deputy chief, and two volunteer assistant chiefs all of which are elected annually from the department at large. Maintenance tasks are handled by a full-time maintenance engineer.
The department was established as a volunteer department in 1881 and has remained volunteer since that time. While some might question the ability of a volunteer department to protect South Dakota's seat of government, PFD currently carries a Class 3 ISO rating -- the highest rating in the state shared only with Sioux Falls and Rapid City, the state's largest urban areas.
| 2009 DEPARTMENT OFFICERS: |
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Fire Chief: |
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Bill Alexander |
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Deputy Chief: |
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Ian Paul |
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1st Assistant Chief: |
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Pat Snyder |
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2nd Assistant Chief: |
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Bill Newling |
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Secretary: |
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Leon Ellis |
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Treasurer: |
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Ken Marks |
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Training Officer: |
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Doug Hinkle |