Good evening District 27. On Saturday I had another parade to attend and met many attendees at the Interior Frontier Days PRCA and Ranch Rodeo. It was 103 degrees when I departed Interior but I had a great time visiting the locals and seeing what “the heart of the Badlands” had to offer. Interior is a small town with a big heart. I immediately felt the warm hospitality when the Interior Volunteer Fire Department crew gave me a quick tour of their fire hall. I saw all their fire trucks and ambulance vehicles ready to respond to emergencies within the small town of Interior, Badlands National Park, and the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. One of the staff members even showed me their new “jaws-of-life” that are charged electrically. I could tell the fire department took great pride in getting their volunteers certified to meet the requirements to fight fires. I was very impressed by their ability to pour the concrete floors and install the framing of their small-town fire department using sweat equity which serves as a model of what a small-town VFD can do when people come together with a common purpose.
Based on my conversation with one of the VFD members, it sounds like there are issues regarding reimbursement from our federal partners who rely on our VFDs to respond to structure fires on tribal lands and to provide emergency medical relief services on US Park Service lands (e.g., 911 calls for broken ankles and rattlesnake bites while hiking in the Badlands NP). Across the district, I have learned this has been a concern for small-town fire departments that operate on a volunteer basis. Visitors to the National Park do not realize that our small-town fire department personnel and first responders are volunteers and have day jobs to perform. Hence, response times are critical, but when our VFD and paramedics do respond, the local fire and emergency medical department receives minimal to zero reimbursement for these essential services, outside what is provided by county and municipal governments. I was told that the paperwork to receive reimbursement from insurance companies for specific emergency responses wasn’t worth the hassle. To sustain the Interior VFD, volunteer personnel take one of their fire engines to fight fires out west for approximately five weeks to raise enough funds to sustain their local fire department to pay the necessary bills for maintenance and upkeep of the equipment. This is a problem that I have noticed across our rural district. If there aren’t enough volunteer firefighters and paramedics, then our small towns lose out and put the vulnerable, the elderly, and our communities at risk of fire danger and immediate medical attention. Another issue that I learned was the trauma that many of our volunteer firefighters experience when coming upon a vehicle fatality. The post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) that some of our volunteer personnel experience is real and needs to be addressed accordingly by providing counseling services to those who are affected by the trauma. Our small-town communities depend on the men and women who volunteer their time to provide emergency services. It will be a priority of mine to make sure that the men and women within our VFDs get the necessary reimbursement and support they need.
After the parade, I ventured over to the Wagon Wheel Bar and Grill where I met up with some locals and had a late lunch. I ordered the ribeye steak sandwich which was excellent. I highly recommend it. If you are ever in Interior, I recommend stopping by here for lunch where there is great local hospitality.
After lunch with locals, I cruised over to the Native West Trading Company retail store. I met with the owner who said the retail business had been impacted by the economy and will be closing its brick-and-mortar store to focus on developing its online presence. The store owner shared with me common issues that small business owners are facing across the district: can’t find good reliable help. She also mentioned that tourists have fewer disposable income dollars to spend on retail purchases that are not necessarily a need. No doubt the economy nationwide is impacting our small business owners across our rural district. As one who appreciates Native American art and craftsmanship, the owner carried quality artwork from various local artists. While talking with the owner, she was finishing a leather knife holster. What I appreciated about Native West Trading Company is that it is a small-town business that has select artwork that you will not find anywhere else. I highly recommend stopping by the store if in the area to see what is available and enjoy the small-town hospitality of Western South Dakota.
After making a small purchase to add to my Native American art collection, I got back in my vehicle to see the excitement of the PRCA rodeo that was going on at the local arena before making the drive back to Martin via the backroad towards Allen. It was a beautiful drive along this route and made me appreciate why our ranchers love this area of Western South Dakota.
Overall, I enjoyed my day in Interior and its warm hospitality. The people that I met in Interior further reminded me why I am running for office: to preserve our South Dakota values that are steadily slipping away. If elected your state senator, I will do my best to fight for the preservation of South Dakota values that our engrained in our culture and way of life including supporting our families, small-town business owners, school teachers, ranchers, and farmers, volunteer fire department, emergency response, and local law enforcement personnel. The values of any small-town community are upheld and are rooted by these and many other people who have a common interest in sharing and passing down these values to a future generation of South Dakotans. I look forward to working with our small-town community leaders to promote and protect these shared values. God bless.
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