The city of Flandreau celebrated the grand opening of its new fire station this past Wednesday, a milestone that brought together local and regional community partners, city staff, and firefighters.
The state-of-the-art facility, which promises to serve the community well into the future, was lauded as a much-needed upgrade for the city’s emergency services.
Nikki Gronli of USDA Rural Development was among those attending. “Our role is making sure that rural communities stay vibrant and stay safe and have the investments they need to take care of rural South Dakota. We’re just honored to be a part of this,” she said, highlighting the USDA’s contribution to the project.

Mayor Dan Sutton and Fire Chief Don Peters were among the speakers during the community dinner and ribbon cutting ceremony. Both expressed gratitude to everyone who played a part in bringing the new station to fruition.
Peters was sincere in telling the crowd gathered that evening, “Future firefighters will be proud to call the new facility ‘home’”, adding that the building marks the beginning of a new chapter in the community’s commitment to safety and service.
“It took a while to get to this point, but we’re very happy with the end result,” said Brad Bjerke, a former firefighter and current City Council member.
“This is exactly what was needed. It’s a very functional, safe facility. The other one was so crowded it wasn’t safe. You go running in there to get your gear, it was tight.”
The new facility offers significant improvements for the department, including everything under one roof. Firefighters previously had to go to the city office for equipment like ladders. The new station, noted firefighter Chase Amdahl, will save valuable time in emergencies.
As the new station opens, the fate of the former building remains undecided, with ongoing discussions about its potential future use. “An assessment needs to happen yet." Bjerke mentioned.