Wildland Fire division enters season with support from new facilities

This piece is sponsored by Lloyd Construction.

When wildfires spark in western South Dakota, South Dakota Wildland Fire is equipped to respond.

The division manages, prevents and suppresses wildfires on state and private lands, primarily in the Black Hills. Crews are trained in everything from specialized suppression to managing aviation resources, conducting hazardous fuel reduction and facilitating interagency cooperation.

While primarily responsible for the Black Hills Forest Fire Protection District, the Wildland Fire division also supports local fire departments and coordinates with federal and tribal agencies across the state.

In Rapid City and Hot Springs, South Dakota Wildland Fire was approved for new maintenance shops by the state Legislature in 2023.

Lloyd Construction submitted the low bid for both projects.

With the budget set by state law, “it was a little challenging, because while we were the low bidder, we still had to work with project architect TSP to help value-engineer the projects in order to meet their budget,” said Donnie Hambek, director of project development for Lloyd Construction.

“We were able to make adjustments that helped bring the price down while still achieving their objective.”

The design, a pole barn-style building, included epoxy flooring and space on an upper level for training rooms.

“The state has been really good to work with, and we’ve really enjoyed working with them,” Hambek said.

The buildings were completed on budget and on time to help support the needs of crews already battling wildfires in the Black Hills this year.

“The completed buildings will be used for their intended purpose for decades to come, furthering the mission of Wildland Fire to protect the Black Hills, their residents and visitors,” State Engineer Stacy Watters said.

“The state has completed dozens of projects with Lloyd Construction, and we look forward to many more in the years to come.”

For Lloyd Construction, “our goal is always to diversify,” said Mike Dill, executive vice president of construction. “For a long time, we were looked at as an apartment builder. Then, we got into commercial with a lot of retail projects, then we moved into medical projects, and the intent is to continue to grow our scope of work.”

Successfully bidding on multiple state projects has led to several opportunities, he added.

“The competitive market is very challenging, with a lot of responses, which is good for taxpayers but does make it harder on contractors,” Dill said. “But in the ones where we are successful, we’re putting our best foot forward.”