Five Appointed to Fire Marshal Advisory Board

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, June 5, 2012

CONTACT: Terry Woster, Public Information Officer, 605.773.3178

 

              Five Appointed to Fire Marshal Advisory Board

 

PIERRE, S.D. – Gov. Dennis Daugaard has appointed five new members to the State Fire Marshal’s Advisory Board.

 

Fire Marshal Paul Merriman said he believes the board will give his office a solid connection with firefighters and other stakeholders involved in fire safety, equipment and insurance. The board has been inactive for several years.

 

“When I was appointed Fire Marshal five months ago, Public Safety Secretary Trevor Jones and I talked at some length about ways to strengthen our relationships with fire departments and other fire constituencies,’’ Merriman said. “We agreed that re-activating the advisory board would give us an ongoing way to gather input on policies and programs.’’

 

Members of the board include:

 

Richard Broderick Jr. of Rapid City, Jerry Diamond of Oacoma, Richard Gustad Jr. of Platte, Michael Harstad of Crooks and James Strain of Rapid City. Broderick, Strain and Gustad represent firefighters on the board. Harstad represents the fire equipment industry, and Diamond represents the fire insurance industry.

 

While terms for the advisory board will be four years, the initial terms are staggered to provide continuity for the board’s deliberations and decisions. The initial appointments by the Governor provide one-year terms for Broderick and Diamond, two-year terms for Strain and Gustad and a four-year term for Harstad.

 

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