firefighters

COMMENTARY
U.S. Forest Service firefighters prepare to battle the Caldor Fire on Aug. 31, 2021, in Meyers, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Wildland firefighter pay gains could go up in smoke

BY: - August 14, 2023

At any given moment during this smoky summer of 2023, hundreds of wildfires were blazing in the United States — more than 850 as of late July, according to the nonprofit Fire, Weather & Avalanche Center. Most of those wildfires ignited in the forests of the American West. Fires were also burning by the thousands […]

Rep. Kevin Jensen, R-Sioux Falls, turns to ask a question during a meeting of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Feb. 27, 2023, at the Capitol in Pierre. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight)

Volunteer fire departments could get millions in state aid

BY: - February 27, 2023

PIERRE — Most of South Dakota’s land area is protected by firefighters who don’t get paid for their work. Most of the fire departments they work for aren’t government entities. That means the fundraising reality of the state’s largely volunteer fire force is one of charity drives, fill-the-boot dances, chili feeds and direct mail solicitation. […]