Pennington County Fire Service

10/16/2026

Ribbon Cutting for the New Single Engine Airtanker, (commonly referred to as SEAT's) base located at the Airport in Wall will take place on October 16th, 2026 at 4:00 pm

South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden is scheduled to be in attendance.

Two Airtanker Bases will now be available in Pennington County, one at Rapid City Regional Airport and now the one in Wall.

Date: October 16th, 2026
Time: 4:00 PM
Location: Dave Hahn Field, I-90 / Exit 109, 4th and Airport road, Wall SD 57790

What is a Single Engine Airtanker?

A single engine airtanker, or SEAT, is the smallest airtanker.

These aircraft can deliver up to 800 gallons fire retardant or water in support of firefighters on the ground.

Wall Volunteer Fire Department

Wasta Volunteer Fire Department, Wasta SD

Quinn Volunteer Fire Department

Scenic Volunteer Fire Department

Interior Volunteer Fire Department

Philip Volunteer Fire Department

Kadoka Volunteer Fire

South Dakota Department of Public Safety

Nebraska National Forests & Grasslands

Rapid City Pennington County Emergency Management

Wall Badlands Area Chamber of Commerce

BIA - Forestry & Wildland Fire Management - Pine Ridge Agency

10/15/2026

10-15-2026 Drought Update

https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/data/png/current/current_wfounr_trd.png

ElNino looms large over U.S. Winter Outlook
https://www.noaa.gov/?fbclid=IwY2xjawU9-iFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABwZG9mAWJyaWQRMVFTTGpzN0lwSEZnVGU0UXlzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEep_c5Cm6UneMgciSlfwoWSFmTvuASCW6_AOTMFDIh-26hmSsi74dnM7XIQ-o_aem__Pv1GbsMLFqNqQcYcb9VJw

New Seasonal (Winter) Drought Outlook with new design by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 's NOAA NWS Climate Prediction Center and National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS)

Drought develops/worsens: Interior Northwest and Northern Rockies

Drought improves/removed: Southern US, Northeast, Coastal Northwest, Northern California and parts of the Great Basin, Central Rockies, and Central Plains

Otherwise, drought persists. https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/

NOAA NWS Climate Prediction Center and National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) are rolling out these updates to the U.S. Drought Outlooks to make forecasts clearer and more actionable.

Grounded in social science research, the redesigned maps feature clearer categories, simplified colors, and streamlined text for faster decision-making.

Looking ahead, National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) and U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) are also developing next-generation probabilistic drought outlooks, which will provide greater context on possible drought outcomes to inform decision-making.

Learn more about the upcoming redesign and transition:
https://www.drought.gov/

Parts of the Southeast and West saw improvement this week, plus Puerto Rico. Drought or dryness worsened in parts of the Midwest.

The Northeast and South saw mixed conditions.

Fall may be in full swing, but it’s never too early to look ahead to winter.
Check out NOAA’s U.S. issued today at www.noaa.gov

NOAA National Weather Service forecasters are predicting:

--Warmer-than-average and drier-than-average conditions across the U.S. northern tier

--Wetter-than-average conditions across the Southwest, South and Eastern Seaboard

More:
-- Be sure to follow U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) this winter on X and Bluesky for the latest winter storm information, advisories, watches and warnings

10/10/2026

Grasslands Fire Danger rating

10/10/2026

***Very High ⚠️🔥🔥

Open Burning is prohibited today (i.e. burn piles, slash, fires not enclosed, no chimney or duct stack) in Pennington County South Dakota.

Pennington County Board of Commissioners Ordinance # 726, approved on May 18, 2021, effective June 3rd 2021, allows the County to prohibit open burning, including prohibiting the use of burn barrels under certain conditions based on the
National Weather Service Grassland Fire Danger Index.

Penalty is $500 fine or 30 days in jail.

PLEASE

National Weather Service Grassland Fire Danger Index:

https://www.weather.gov/unr/rfd

Pennington County Burn Regulations Page:

https://www.pennco.org/law_public_safety/fire/burn_regulations.php

+++++++++++++++++++
Don't be an ignition source. Do not burn outdoors, never throw ci******es out of a vehicle, and do not drive over dry grass.

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Get the latest forecast at weather.gov/unr

10/09/2026

Drought conditions changed considerably across the U.S. during September, with widespread improvement across portions of the West, Plains and Midwest contrasting with rapid deterioration across the South and Southeast.

The majority of drought reports in September were about Colorado, Utah, and the Plains states. Many of the drought impacts were about water issues, agricultural challenges, and plants and wildlife, mainly at the county level.

10/09/2026

Public Service Announcement:
DAUGHENBAUGH ROAD CLOSURE

Daughenbaugh Road will be closed 0.87 miles east of South Highway 79 from 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, October 13, 2026 through 5:00 p.m. Thursday, October 15, 2026, for railroad crossing repairs. Detour signs will be in place.

The closure will be shown on the Pennington County Public Safety Hub map at

www.pennco.org/publicsafetyhub.

For questions, please contact the Pennington County Highway Department

10/09/2026

Grasslands Fire Danger rating

10/9/2026

***Very High ⚠️🔥🔥 + Red Flag Warning

Open Burning is prohibited today (i.e. burn piles, slash, fires not enclosed, no chimney or duct stack) in Pennington County South Dakota.

Pennington County Board of Commissioners Ordinance # 726, approved on May 18, 2021, effective June 3rd 2021, allows the County to prohibit open burning, including prohibiting the use of burn barrels under certain conditions based on the
National Weather Service Grassland Fire Danger Index.

Penalty is $500 fine or 30 days in jail.

PLEASE

National Weather Service Grassland Fire Danger Index:

https://www.weather.gov/unr/rfd

Pennington County Burn Regulations Page:

https://www.pennco.org/law_public_safety/fire/burn_regulations.php

+++++++++++++++++++
Don't be an ignition source. Do not burn outdoors, never throw ci******es out of a vehicle, and do not drive over dry grass.

//////////////////////////////////////

Get the latest forecast at weather.gov/unr

10/09/2026

Grasslands Fire Danger rating

10/9/2026

***Very High ⚠️🔥🔥 + Red Flag Warning

Open Burning is prohibited today (i.e. burn piles, slash, fires not enclosed, no chimney or duct stack) in Pennington County South Dakota.

Pennington County Board of Commissioners Ordinance # 726, approved on May 18, 2021, effective June 3rd 2021, allows the County to prohibit open burning, including prohibiting the use of burn barrels under certain conditions based on the
National Weather Service Grassland Fire Danger Index.

Penalty is $500 fine or 30 days in jail.

PLEASE

National Weather Service Grassland Fire Danger Index:

https://www.weather.gov/unr/rfd

Pennington County Burn Regulations Page:

https://www.pennco.org/law_public_safety/fire/burn_regulations.php

+++++++++++++++++++
Don't be an ignition source. Do not burn outdoors, never throw ci******es out of a vehicle, and do not drive over dry grass.

//////////////////////////////////////

Get the latest forecast at weather.gov/unr

Unseasonably warm and dry today and Saturday, along with breezy conditions, supporting high fire danger. A red flag warning is in effect today for much of western SD and northeast WY. A cold front will arrive Saturday night. This will bring a pattern change to cool and unsettled conditions for next week.

10/09/2026

Rapid Valley Volunteer Fire Department

10/08/2026

Next week looks relatively wet for much of the US, especially the Southwest, Southern Plains, and Lower Mississippi River. Northern California into Oregon leans dry.

Temps: Warmer than normal likely for part of the Northwest (+Alaska/Hawaii) and the South Central and Southeast. Northeast leans cooler. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) NOAA NWS Climate Prediction Center

10/08/2026

https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/data/png/current/current_wfounr_trd.png