The State Fire Service Training Program offers training materials and coordinates training courses for state fire school, district fire schools, National Fire Academy courses and other special training classes. 

The program provides for the certification of firefighters, fire instructors, fire apparatus driver/operators, and fire officers through certified training programs. 

Training Calendar

Click here to visit the Training Calendar page.  To have your training added to the training calendar, please contact the State Fire Marshal's Office by email or call (605) 773-3562.  

Training Curriculum

Please use the following forms for any of the courses below.  Links to course-specific forms are shown directly below the course description.

• Class Attendance Roster - Sign In Sheet (.pdf) 
• Course and Instructor Evaluation Form (.pdf)    
  
  

Driver/Operator Course (Aerial Operator Optional)

The IFSTA 3^rd Edition "Pumping Apparatus Driver/Operator Handbook" is the accepted curriculum for this 40-hour course, which includes about eight hours of practical activities and an eight-hour EVOC class. Subject areas covered: driving emergency vehicles, fire pump basics, maintenance, water supply and pump discharge calculations.  Aerial operator is an additional portion that can be offered along with the pumping apparatus class.

• Fire Apparatus Operator Driver Course (.pdf)   
• Certified Driver Operator Online Syllabus (.pdf)   
  
  

Rescue Operations Course

The Rescue Operations Course is about 40 hours in length, with half of the class time spent doing hands-on activities. Automobile, school bus, and heavy truck extrication are covered, plus low angle rope rescue, water rescue, trench and confined space awareness, and patient packaging.

• Rescue Operations Course Card (.pdf)    
  
  

Certified Firefighter

The foundation of fire service training is covered in the basic certified firefighter program. IFSTA's 6th Edition Essentials Program or Jones and Bartlett 3rd Edition Fundamentals of Fire Fighter Skills can be used as the guide for this estimated 80-hour entry level program with an additional 40 hours of performance competencies.

• Certified Firefighter Course Card (.pdf)     
• Firefighter Practice Skill Test Instructions and Evaluation Sheets (.pdf)   
• Certified Firefighter Online Class Syllabus (.pdf)    
  
  

Structural Firefighting Strategy & Tactics Course

The new Structural Firefighter Strategy and Tactics course is from Jones and Bartlett 4th edition.  It is a recommended 30-hour course.

Overview:

• Discuss the importance of adopting and implementing NIMS for all structural fires, including operational priorities, decision making, and control on the fire ground.
• Discuss the importance of pre-incident plans and standard operating procedures (SOPs), and their relationship to size-up.
• Discuss the development of an incident action plan, including overall strategy, priorities, and the use of a written plan.
• Discuss the responsibilities of all companies working at the scene of an emergency, including company roles to assess fire fighter safety at the incident scene. It also established practices related to fire fighter safety. Most important of all, life safety.
• Discuss operations at properties protected by the various types of fire protection systems.
• Discuss operations for an offensive fire attack, including calculating rate of flow, selecting equipment, and estimating resource needs.
• Discuss defensive fire attack operations, including the decision to use defensive, rather than offensive, operations.
• Discuss the primary components of property conservation operations.
• Discuss the process of evaluating occupancies and formulating safe and effective fire-ground strategies.
• Discuss the basic tactics and strategic objectives used in high-rise firefighting
• Students will be required to submit Practical Assignment paperwork before student will be able to take the final test.

Please use the following materials for this course:

• Curriculum Information   
• Instructors Guide     
• Attendance Card     

Fire Officer Program

Officer level training is available for all current and potential fire officers.  This course uses the IFSTA Fire and Emergency Services Company Officer 6th Edition curriculum as its basis.  Subject areas include fire cause determination, communications, and a significant study of incident command and strategy and tactics.

• Fire Officer Course Card (.pdf)     
  
  

Fire Instructor Certification

The South Dakota Certified Fire Instructor course prepares future instructors to train members of their own organization as well as traveling to other departments. This course begins with pre-course work at home, plus one weekend of classroom study and presentations. 

For further details on these courses, please contact us.

• Instructor Best Practices (.pdf)    
• Instructor Description (.pdf)     
• Instructor Information Dues and Recertification Year (.pdf)     
• Instructor Lead Evaluator Nomination Form (.pdf)     
• Instructor Recertification Card (.pdf)     
  
  

National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS) Training Videos

Training videos to assist SD Fire Departments in using the National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS) to enter their incident reports.

• Training Video

Training Library 

Hundreds of videos and DVDs are available for South Dakota firefighter and first responder training and public education. These videos are available for loan through the Pierre office. There is no charge for using the videos, but you’re encouraged to return them in a timely manner to ensure they are available for others. Contact us for more information.

• CD/DVD Training Library Catalog (.pdf)     
  
  

Online Training Resources

• Responder Safety Learning Network
  • Free online training courses for roadway responders.
• Fire Hero Learning Network
  • Free online courses for health, safety and leadership.
• Ambulance Driver Competencies 
  • EMS/EMR/EMT licensure and certification has been moved to the South Dakota Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners (SDBMOE) under the South Dakota Department of Health. The link above will take you to their website.  Scroll on their page until you find "Ambulance Driver Certification."
• ALIVE - Advanced Learning through Integrated Visual Environments
  • ALIVE simulates critical decision-making aspects of firefighting for career/volunteer firefighters and reinforces firefighting safety concepts developed by leading industry researchers through interactive tactical scenarios.
    
    

Firefighter Safety Links

• Everyone Goes Home
  • To prevent line of duty deaths and injuries, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation has launched a national initiative to bring prevention to the forefront.
• Firefighter Near Miss Reporting System
  • The National Firefighter Near-Miss Reporting System is a voluntary, confidential, non-punitive and secure reporting system with the goal of improving firefighter safety.
• Firefighterclosecalls.com
  • This site allows visitors to read about the "close call" experiences of other firefighters and emergency services personnel, with the goal of preventing injuries and deaths.