Lack of Volunteers, City Resistance Pushes Spearfish Volunteer Fire Department to Fold

Where’s the fire? Let’s hope not in Spearfish any time soon: their fire department is disbanding!

Let’s start with last week’s announcement from the Spearfish Volunteer Fire Department, which formed in 1881 but now finds itself extinguished by lack of volunteers and lack of political support from the city:

Dear Residents and Business Owners within the Spearfish Volunteer Fire Department service area:

It is with great sadness and regret that we, the members of the Spearfish Volunteer Fire Department (SVFD) inform you that as of no later than January 31, 2016 the SVFD will dissolve its organization and will no longer provide fire/rescue services to you. This was decided by a 2/3 majority vote of the volunteers currently serving with the SVFD. The vote took place Sept. 16-18 and results were announced to the firefighters during a special meeting on Sept. 23; the City of Spearfish was informed on Sept. 24. Because we care deeply about all citizens of this community, we would like to take this opportunity to outline considerations taken by the SVFD membership which led to the decision for disbandment:

1) The SVFD, for the first time in its 140-year history, cannot find a leader who is willing to be chief. At the beginning of this year, we did have a number of individuals who were considering investing the needed time and energy to be chief in 2016; however, the legal and political battles of the past year have worn on these individuals. The SVFD lacks a qualified individual who is willing and able to dedicate the time and emotional energy into this job.

2) Even if a chief was to be found, the number of volunteers willing to commit the time to fill the remaining executive leadership positions (2 assistant chiefs, president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, equipment & training officers) are minimal. Most individuals currently in leadership positions are unwilling to commit to leadership positions next year.

3) Volunteer numbers have been decreasing for at least the past five years, and have rapidly decreased in 2015. The department currently has 37 members (a full roster can support up to 63). A number of our most experienced firefighters plan to retire or resign after January 2016; though most still enjoy fire/rescue, many site frustration with politics and lack of time as reasons for retirement or resignation. We have been worn down and are exhausted.

4) In April, City Council proposed Ordinance 1212 without any prior communication with the SVFD. The ordinance appeared to greatly affect much of the SVFD operations and led to major concerns among SVFD members. Unfortunately, it also degraded personal feelings toward and departmental relations with the City. This, among other issues, has led to poor morale and a general loss of interest and participation in the Department within the past 6 months.

5) You may recall hearing about the SVFD’s support of and work to create a Fire Protection District covering its entire service area within the last 18 months. The SVFD had been closely examining its funding model and exploring other options for approximately three years prior to moving forward with the Fire Protection District in anticipation of future funding needs. After the City chose not to opt in and allow residents to vote on this issue, the SVFD and the City began negotiations. This has been a slow, drawn-out process, wearing on volunteer time and energy.

6) Although the SVFD did obtain the needed number of petition signatures from city residents to take the Fire Protection District to a vote, City representatives have made it clear that doing so will result in legal action potentially including but not limited to seizure of equipment and buildings. The Department, a non-profit organization, is not willing to commit the funds nor the personal time of its volunteers in this type of battle. Please understand that this decision is not based upon a frustration with things “not going our way” but with a group who truly wants what is best and fair for every resident in our District.

The City of Spearfish and Lawrence County will now work together to determine a plan of fire protection that is appropriate for residents within the SVFD service area. Members of SVFD leadership are committed to working with the City and County as needed to create this new fire/rescue organization. We have long pushed for a system of funding that is fair and equitable to all – remember, everyone pays sales tax – while providing the best fire/rescue service possible and protecting our firefighters. We hope that residents will actively encourage city and county leaders to choose a model that is truly fair and economically feasible for all parties involved. We hope that fire/rescue protection will not be compromised and that services will not be used to influence citizens’ decision-making. If the City and County choose to create some type of department that includes volunteers, some of us may join that department. Please be supportive of all fire/rescue personnel, particularly those who have served with us and choose to continue to serve.

This letter is not meant to be an “attack” or to lay blame for past events. Perhaps all of this could have been avoided with better communication and earlier investment of time into recruitment and retention. We feel that residents have a right to know what has happened and to understand where fire/rescue services are currently and in what direction they are going. We also feel it is important for these services, so unimportant until the moment you are in need, be at the forefront of citizens’ minds. We did not want it to end this way.

In conclusion, thank you, citizens of Spearfish and the surrounding area, for your phenomenal support. We hope that you understand what a difficult choice this was to make for each of us, both as citizens and as firefighters. The Spearfish Volunteer Fire Department has proudly served the residents of Spearfish and the surrounding area for nearly 140 years; before Spearfish was even recognized as a city, we have been here. We will continue to serve you as the City and County work on an alternative. Our first concern is and always has been the safety of you and your family, as well as that of our fire family.

Again, many thanks for your support,
Spearfish Fire/Rescue Volunteers
[Facebook post, 2015.09.29]

Seeing that volunteerism and charity just can’t keep up with modern needs and modern resources, the Spearfish Volunteer Fire Department proposed a community-spanning governmental solution, the Fire Protection District, which would have funded operations through a special tax levy. The City of Spearfish balked at being part of the Fire Protection District, even though it claims the lion’s share of the SVFD’s services:

The Spearfish Volunteer Fire Department covers the Spearfish Fire District, the approximately 185-square mile area from the Redwater River to Cleopatra Place in Spearfish Canyon, and from just east of Interstate 90’s Exit 17 to the Wyoming border. The 2010 census showed an estimated 19,727 residents live within the boundaries of the area the SVFD serves.

According to numbers in 2012, 63.4 percent of the department’s overall service was in the city limits of Spearfish, with 36.6 percent in the county [Kaija Swisher and Mark Watson, “Now What?” Black Hills Pioneer, 2015.09.30].

Mayor Dana Boke has formed an advisory group and a transition team. The SVFD has to work through the legalities of dissolving their organization and distributing their assets.

The demise of the Spearfish Volunteer Fire Department and the need now to build a new fire department from scratch seems suboptimal. But I wonder (and I hope I can wonder this without sounding like I’m wishing the SVFD away): is it possible that the SVFD has cleared a path to a simpler solution? The Spearfish City Council and the Lawrence County Commission now have the drawing board to themselves. With the third party gone from the discussion, the remaining two organizations may be able to reinvent the wheel more quickly… and they’ll need to, since we can’t have the biggest town in the Northern Hills going without a fire department.