This funding will be utilized to provide direct fire suppression on state and private forestlands and assist other agencies when needed, promote the use of single engine air tankers to improve initial…

The South Dakota Department of Public Safety, Division of SD Wildland Fire, received a $272,790 Project Grant awarded on September 8, 2025, under the State & Private Forestry Cooperative Fire Assistance program (CFDA 10.698), administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Region 2 - Rocky Mountain Region. The award supports wildfire management and emergency response activities across South Dakota through September 7, 2030.

The grant funds direct fire suppression operations on state and private forestlands, with the awardee providing mutual aid assistance to other agencies as needed. Key deliverables include promoting single-engine air tanker utilization to enhance initial attack capabilities, developing and implementing an advanced wildfire training curriculum for rural fire departments, upgrading outdated firefighting equipment and supplies for rural fire departments, and executing an aggressive fire prevention program designed to reduce human-caused wildfires. These coordinated activities address both immediate suppression readiness and long-term wildfire mitigation across South Dakota's non-federal lands and rural communities.

This funding will be utilized to provide direct fire suppression on state and private forestlands and assist other agencies when needed, promote the use of single engine air tankers to improve initial attack capability, develop and implement an advanced wildfire training curriculum for rural fire departments to improve initial attack capabilities, improve outdated firefighting equipment and supplies utilized by rural fire departments, and support implementation of an aggressive fire prevention program to reduce the number of human-caused wildfires.