Rockerville Volunteer Fire Department

10/09/2026

More training tonight on the new Type 1 structure engine. We are still working out some items and making sure we have everything figured out before putting it fully in service. Firefighters will continue to train through the weekend and next week to make sure we are proficient with this engine.

We also had a couple of future firefighters (well one actually wants to be a cop, but maybe we changed that) stop by tonight to help spray water. We hope our new friends decide to come back for our Open House on Oct 17th from 1-3pm to see all the trucks!

10/08/2026

Part 3 of a 4-part series regarding wildland fires, featuring State Wildland Fire crews from SD.

https://weather.com/2026/10/02/features/video/wildfire-first-response-smoke-to-strike-team?fbclid=IwY2xjawU0rGNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBwZG9mAXNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR5lBI84Bk_tRPG6SL5yi3N4tc98t3U-tDvqhBxxNdFyEIpyE5LZWUaeflVK_Q_aem_FVfv8ER0TfWE1T8D8OYeCw

Go behind the scenes with wildland firefighters and air crews as they race to contain unpredictable wildfires across rugged terrain.

10/08/2026

Our crews have also made great progress swapping out the equipment from our older Engine 1-6 (left) to the new Engine 1-6 (right). We competed a truck walk-through last night and will officially train on the new engine (pumping, drafting, driving) tomorrow night.

Some of the guys decided to work smarter, not harder. So the engines were backed up to each other to swap over the hose in the hose beds. It was a smooth transition!

10/08/2026

Is 10 seconds worth a life?

Our crews have been quite busy over the past several weeks responding to crashes on S Hwy 16. Four of those crashes have been on Hwy 16 from Saturday through Tuesday night, all in the same general location of MM 60 (big curve between the Croell Pit and the Candy Store). These accidents have been early morning early evening, and late evening. We have seen alot of traffic fly through these accident scenes on Hwy 16. Thankfully many of you are willing to slow down as you drive through the crash scene. Others are too busy to care and continue past our cones at high rates of speed.

So we did the math. There are 1760 yards in a mile. At 65mph that is 1907 yd/min. At 30mph that is 880 yd/min. Let's say our scene is 200 yards. At 65 mph it will take you 0.104 mins (6.24 sec) to get through the scene. At 30 mph it will take 0.227 mins (13.6 sec) to get through. That's a difference of less than 10 seconds! 10 seconds that could save a life - maybe ours, maybe yours. Is 10 seconds worth it?

10/06/2026

Our new Type 1 structure engine arrived this evening! We had three firefighters travel to the east side of the State to do the final inspection today and bring it home. We are excited to get our RKVFD lettering on it, all the equipment transferred over, and get this truck into service! It will be a busy week for us getting the swapover completed and making sure our personnel know how to use the engine.

Don't forget to join us for the Open House on October 17th from 1-3 so you can see it in person!

We will share more photos when we have our RKVFD lettering and logo on it!

10/05/2026

UPDATE: This RX is cancelled for tomorrow.

Rx burning is planned for Oct. 8th SW of Jewel Cave.

Update: The Schenk prescribed fire has been CANCELLED due to weather conditions falling outside the approved prescription. This deliberate decision was made because current conditions would prevent us from meeting our operational objectives. We will continue to monitor the forecast and will reschedule when conditions support safe and effective implementation.

_____________________________________________

The Schenk prescribed fire is planned for Thursday, October 8, pending all required approvals. Operations will not commence unless conditions are favorable to implement this burn safely and effectively. The Schenk project is located roughly 5 miles southwest of Jewel Cave National Monument. https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/blackhills/newsroom/releases/prescribed-fire-notification

09/25/2026

This reverses the Stage 2 Fire Restictions that were put into place this summer due to the very dry conditions, and returns us to normal Stage 1 conditions over the BH National Forest. Please note there are still Stage 2 conditions in some areas of the Black Hills of Wyoming.

Reminder, the use of explosive targets (like tannerite) are illegal in the BHNF Fire Protection District and campfires must be in approved campfire grates and areas.

We are not done with fire conditions in the Black Hills. We are still in a drought, and have dry, cured vegetation that is ready to burn.

Per the USFS, Under Stage 1 restrictions, campfires are allowed if they are in permanent fire rings in developed campgrounds or recreation areas.

Specifically, under Stage 1 fire restrictions, the following are restricted:

* Igniting, building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire is prohibited (including fires fueled by charcoal or briquettes), except if it is in:

o A permanent metal or concrete fire pit or grate that U.S. Forest Service has installed and maintained at its developed recreation sites, campgrounds and picnic areas;

o A device solely fueled by liquid or gas that can be turned on and off used in an area barren or cleared of all flammable materials within three feet of the device; or

o A fully enclosed metal stove with a chimney at least five feet in length and a mesh screen spark arrestor with a screen opening of a ¼ inch or less used in an area that is barren or cleared of all flammable materials within 10 feet of the device.

* Using an explosive is prohibited.

* Smoking is prohibited, except in an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site, or while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable materials.

* Welding, or operating acetylene or other torch with open flame is prohibited, except if in a cleared area of at least 10 feet in diameter and a chemical pressurized fire extinguisher (with a minimum of 8 oz. capacity and ratings of Class 2A) is kept with the operator.

Stage 2 Fire Restrictions will remain in effect on all National Forest lands in the Bearlodge and Hell Canyon Ranger Districts on the Black Hills National Forest in the State of Wyoming beginning 12:00 p.m., September 24, 2026. This order supersedes BKF-194-2026 prohibiting the same or similar acts in both Wyoming and South Dakota.

National Forest lands in South Dakota will return to Stage 1 restrictions when this order takes effect.

For more information: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/blackhills/alerts/stage-2-fire-restrictions-black-hills-nf-wyoming

09/22/2026

We've had our share of fog the past few days. Rockerville units responded to a crash on S Hwy 16 and Wilderness Canyon Rd this morning. Thankfully all occupants were wearing seatbelts and only received minor injuries. Medic 6 responded for a patient assessment, but none of those involved were transported.

As we head into the time of season where we will see more fog and challenging visibility, let's all remember to use our headlights (might have to manually turn them on!) and use caution at all intersections. Safe travels!

09/20/2026

The rain and cooler temps are a welcome reprieve to the hot, dry summer that we have experienced. This does not end the drought or the wildland fire season, but it's certainly helpful. We will take whatever rain we can get.

We do have the opportunity now to turn our attention to other fall-related items. We have been focusing our training on structure fires and preparing for receiving our new structure engine (hopefully in the next several weeks).

We are also finalizing plans for an Open House at the Rockerville VFD Station 1 on Hwy 16. The **Open House will be on Saturday, Oct. 17th from 1-3pm**. We will have all our trucks and equipment on display for the Community to look over, in addition to activities for the kiddos! We will post a Facebook event soon with information. And we hope you and your family will plan to join us!

09/19/2026

Rockerville VFD and Keystone Ambulance responded to a crash on Hwy 16 shortly after 4pm. This was at the Main St. intersection on the west end of Rockerville. This area has become one to monitor closely if you are traveling through the Rockerville area headed west. Drivers get confused at that location and try to cut across lanes to turn back into Rockerville, but don't see the traffic in the passing lane.
Thankfully none of the occupants were seriously injured (seatbelts, air bags)! Have a safe weekend, and hopefully we will get alot more rain!