Hill City Ambulance Service

10/07/2026

SPRING 2027 EMT COURSE

Registration is open for our Spring 2027 EMT Course!

Course timeline: January-May 2027
Online LIVE televised EMT course
High School hybrid EMT course

GRANT FUNDING available for qualified students.

Course details on the course flyer below.

Visit our website: www.sanfordemseducation.org
for the updated course flyer and scan the QR code on the bottom right of the flyer for registration.

Feel free to Email our office if you have questions:
[email protected]

07/08/2026

Late in the overnight hours of July 6th and 7th, JSFD responded to a medical call with RCFD Medic 3, which corresponds nicely with today's public service announcement; house numbers.

Way back around 1990, Pennington County adopted the 911 address system and passed an ordinance requiring everyone's 911 address be clearly posted. They also defined some simple guidelines for everyone to follow (you can look it up, "Pennington County Ordinance 20"). Now none of us like to be told what to do, but sometimes those pesky rules work to our benefit.

Case in point; if you have a fire, there's a better than average chance the firefighters will see the smoke, and eventually figure out how to get to the source. On the other hand, if you need an ambulance, there had better be a different method by which the EMS crew can find you than smoke signals (see where we're going here?).

Let's go over some of the common objections or excuses.
"It's on the mailbox" - Unless you plan to meet the ambulance at the mailbox, this is more of a starting place than a destination, especially if there are multiple mailboxes at one location. Besides, no one is going to mail you to the hospital.
"I don't want anyone to know where I live" - Property ownership is a matter of public record, and anyone with the internet and some initiative can figure out who owns what and who lives where. Put down your copy of '1984' and go to the hardware store.
"You have navigation" - Yes, and sometimes it actually works really well. Unfortunately, it doesn't always, and precious time can be lost 'recalculating'.
"I wanted the numbers to look nice" - the whole point is to make them visible, not esthetically pleasing (think Howard Wolowitz, not Martha Stewart).

Seriously, there are some good reasons to make it easy to identify your residence. By posting your house number you could even be telling us where NOT to go, because your address isn't the one we're looking for anyway.
It might also prevent you from having to engage in a treasure hunt for packages left somewhere other than your house, or having someone deliver you an errand by bringing you the neighbors stuff (again?).

Help us help you. Big, bold numbers we can read in the dark at 30 mph at the end of the driveway and on your house are intelligent, responsible, and super cool. Plus, they may just save someone's life someday (or at least our sanity).

👨‍🚒 Be Smart and Be Safe! 🇺🇸

04/08/2026

The Pennington County Sheriff's Office is asking for the public’s assistance in locating a Hill City man, Ronald Deloss Blabchard, 86 years of age. Ronald was last seen in Hill City on Monday at approximately 5:00 PM. Ronald is a white male, 6’1”, 200 lbs.

Ronald is very active and known to frequently walk with the aid of a walking stick. His regular walks are typically along Deerfield Road and the Mickelson Trail but could be anywhere in the area. It is unknown what he might be wearing. There is a concern for Ronald’s health as he suffers from high blood pressure.

Ronald recently arrived in South Dakota from Arizona on Saturday and typically spends the summer in the Black Hills.

If you have seen this individual or have any information on his whereabouts, please contact Pennington County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Marc Davies at (605) 394-6115.

12/20/2025

12/17/2025

UPDATE: The following paragraph is from Pennington County Sheriff's Office at about 4:30 p.m. MT: The Greyhound Fire is 2-3 miles south of Keystone and is moving east. It is currently at 150 acres. Highway 40 and Playhouse Road are closed due to firefighter activity.
There are currently evacuations along highway 40 between Playhouse Rd and Rushmore Ranch Rd expanding 2 miles north.
Please abide by law enforcement officers if you are given an evacuation notice. There are currently 15-20 engines, and two Hot Shot Crews working on the fire and more resources are being ordered.
For up to date Highway 40 wildfire information, please monitor the Pennington County Public Safety Hub.
https://pennco.org/publicsafetyhub

(Original post follows): have been called for mutual aid to assist with residential evacuations for a wildfire (named the Greyhound Fire by Great Plains Fire Information) approximately two miles east of Keystone. Official information can be found here (we do not have first-hand information on this fire at our page except if shared from an official source): https://gpfireinfo.blogspot.com/

This fire was first reported at 2:43 Mountain time (90 minutes ago) and has grown quickly to at least 45 acres at this writing, due to high winds we are experiencing across the Black Hills. If you live in this area or downwind of it, stay alert, watch conditions outside, be alert to smoke smell, park your car strategically and consider other plans for possible evacuation. DO NOT DRIVE INTO THE AREA of Playhouse Road-Highway 40 east of Keystone. Leave the roads open for emergency traffic now responding to this fire.

Wherever you live or work right now in the Black Hills region, be very careful with any ignition sources or any potential source of sparks such as heavy machinery, chainsaws, chimneys, etc.
We will try to share updates as we hear about them from agencies in charge or on the ground. Feel free to share what you know in the comments but do not delay if you are asked to evacuate or if you judge it is time to leave on your own.We

11/26/2025