New law provides $5 million for South Dakota volunteer fire departments

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – This week, Gov. Kristi Noem signed a invoice into legislation that gives $5 million for volunteer hearth departments to buy security gear.

South Dakota has over 300 hearth departments which might be one hundred pc volunteer staffed. To be thought-about an authorized volunteer hearth division within the state of South Dakota, 15 folks should be volunteers at that division.

Jerome Harvey, hearth administrator for Speedy Metropolis. says on common, it takes round $6,000 to provide one firefighter with private protecting gear, and this invoice would provide every firefighter with round $500 value of protecting gear.

“The power to guard these folks, to assist fund what’s happening, you’re both going have to determine fund that otherwise you’ll find yourself paying extra to fund all the things. Is it a step in the proper route? Sure. Is it a great factor? Sure, so far as realizing its child steps to assist tackle the over all drawback,” Harvey mentioned.

Harvey mentioned that if the state needs to maintain this program in place, they must give you a plan to incorporate this of their common funding cycles to proceed serving to volunteer hearth departments.

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