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SDFA State Fire School - Class/Presentation Submission Form

The SDFA is always on the hunt for new instructors, classes and presentation ideas for South Dakota State Fire School.  State School is typically held roughly mid-June (the dates for 2024 were June 13th-15th, 2025 Scheduled dates are June 12th-14th).  For the foreseeable future SD State Fire School will be held at Lake Area Technical College in Watertown, SD.

If you are interested in presenting an idea please fill out the following form as completely as possible.  That form will be forwarded to the SDFA Board members for review.  Should the SDFA Board be interested in the idea a board member will be in contact to obtain further information.  Keep in mind that classes and presentation are typically locked down for the coming year some 9-12 months ahead of the event so logistics can be planned and advertising can begin.  We booked several classes for next year at the conclusion of this years event and our goal is to have most all classes selected or locked in by the end of September.

Just to give you an idea of schedule, the event runs 3 days, two of them class/presentation days.  The first day being only registration, trade-show and some social events, classes are conducted on Friday and conclude Saturday afternoon.  We typically offer 3 different lengths of classes.  We are looking for all types of classes and proposed audiences, new firefighters, seasoned firefighters, leadership/officers and administrative.  We also try to have a solid mix of classroom only and hands-on-training.  Keep in mind the demographics and potential attendees of your class.  South Dakota is a state that is made up of roughly ~330 fire departments, most of which are rural and 100% volunteer, there are roughly ~5 100% career departments and a hand-full or two of combination departments.

  • 3-4 hour sessions (half day) which are usually repeated AM and PM both days - 4 total sessions
  • 6-8 hour sessions (full day) which are usually repeated both Friday and Saturday - 2 total sessions
  • 14-16 hour sessions (two full days of the same class) - 1 session

Our participants register and choose from the menu of available classes (usually numbering around 30 options total).  You can click HERE to view our 2024 Schedule, and click HERE to view a summary of the 2024 class offerings to give you a rough idea of the format of the event, also here is a copy of the 2024 State Fire School Booklet.

If you are interested in being and instructor at State Fire School, please fill out the following form.

Thank you for your interest!

Fields marked with an * are required.

Please verify that you have checked the “I'm not a robot” checkbox.

Primary Contact Information
Please fill out your contact information, or in the case of a class with multiple instructors please provide data for the primary/lead contact.

Primary Contact - First Name

Primary Contact - Last Name

Primary Contact - Name of Organization Affiliated with (if applicable)

Primary Contact - Title (if applicable)

Primary Contact - email address

Primary Contact - Phone # (enter best number to contact you)

Primary Contact - Address Line 1

Primary Contact - Address Line 2

Primary Contact - City

Primary Contact - State

Primary Contact - Zip Code

Use this field to enter any additional Primary Contact information you deem relevant.

Primary/Lead Instructor Information
Please provide details for the Primary/Lead Instructor, in the case of a class with multiple instructors we can obtain further data on other instructors should the proposal be accepted.

Please indicate roughly how long your have been instructing for the Fire Service.

If you have instructed at other State or Regional Fire Schools please let us know where and when in the following text box.  In the case of multiple instructors please summarize.

Please use the following text box to provide a brief instructor bio.  In the case of multiple instructors please summarize.  NOTE:  We often provide instructor bios. on our registration page with the class descriptions, brief bios. seem to be best, if they are too long the are often un-read.

Class/Presentation Details
Please provide as many details as possible so we can best understand the proposed Class/Presentation

Please provide the title/name of the proposed Class/Presentation

Please provide a description of the class/presentation you are proposing.  NOTE:  Class descriptions are listed on our website and registration page for attendees to view to help them choose their class selection and are generally one of the items most considered by our attendees when choosing a class.  Please include learning objectives.

Please indicate if you class will be primarily

Classroom/Lecture Learning

Hands-On-Training (generally with some classroom component)

We generally offer three different total class lengths as follows:

3-4 Hour Session (half day AM & PM) - These are typically offered four times over the course of the event, each day both AM and PM (4 total classes).

6-8 Hour Session (full day) - These are typically offered twice over the course of the event, one class each day.

14-16 Hour Session - This will be a full 2 days class offering only 1 session during the event.

Most classroom only classes at our event are limited to around 26-28 students primarily due to the size of the classrooms available, we do have some theater type seating available for larger classes if needed.  Many of the Hands-On-Classes we offer the instructor(s) wish to limit participation to keep student/instructor ratios reasonable, and in some cases classroom only sessions are also limited to encourage student participation.  If your class would have a size limit for number of students per session, please enter it below.

Please list the number of instructors you plan to use to present the class/presentation

Class/Presentation Logistics
Please provide details on any logistics/class needs/props/supplies that the instructor will NOT be providing and will need the assistance of the SDFA Board to Provide.

Please list any supplies, apparatus, equipment, props, etc... that the SDFA Board will need to provide for the class, items the instructor will not be providing.  NOTE:  All classrooms in use would have computer and projector, those items do not need to be listed.

Class/Presentation Proposed/Estimated Costs
Please provide as much detail as possible to we can best understand the costs associated with your Class/Presentation. Include only those items the instructor(s) will be providing, if there are supplies/props that we will need to provide the SDFA Board will figure those costs. We typically take care of making lodging arrangements for our instructors and cover those costs. Include such things as: Travel, Instructor(s) Fees/Honorarium, Meals, Supplies, Incidentals

Please list TOTAL estimated travel costs, in the case of multiple instructors please list TOTAL estimated for all instructors.

Please list the estimated total cost of instructor fees/honorariums.  In the case of a class with multiple instructors please list TOTAL estimated cost for all.

If applicable and not included in Instructor(s) Fees/Honorarium please least TOTAL estimated cost for Meals/Per-Diem.  We typically provide a noon meal to all students and instructors on Friday and Saturday as part of the event.


Please list the TOTAL estimated cost of any needed Supplies, Props, Etc.... (NOTE:  Do NOT include supplies and props that the SDFA Board will be providing)

Please provide estimated TOTAL cost of any Incidentals/Misc. items not previously accounted for.

Please enter any relevant information related to costs related to your proposal that should be considered or further information to explain the above listed costs.

Class Pre-requisites and PPE Requirements
Please list and student pre-requisites and and PPE Requirements that students need to be made aware of. Note: It is very difficult for the SDFA Board to enforce pre-requisites as each and every department in the state records their own training and experience, best we can do is list the pre-requisites and hope they are honored.

Are there any pre-requisites, pre-course work or other requirements for students registering for this class.  Keep in mind the SDFA has a limited ability to enforce educational or experience pre-requisites, other than listing them in the class description.  Please list any requirements in the text box below.

Are there any PPE requirements for students participating in the class?  These items will be listed with the class description, please be specific so students arrive with any and all PPE Needed.  Items to consider

  • Wildland PPE
  • Rescue Extrication PPE
  • Full Structural PPE
  • SCBA w/spare Cylinder
  • Work Boots
  • Work Gloves
  • Eye Protection
  • Hearing Protection

Please use the text box below to list any specific PPE requirements.

Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous

Please use the text box below to list any relevant information not mentioned above.

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