Four of Rapid City's Bravest Retire

Rapid City, S.D. - Today we bid four of our absolute finest a fond farewell as they retire from the Rapid City Fire Department with a combined 111 years of experience. Each of them will tell you that, if they did their job right, no one will notice their departure. They'll tell you that, through training and mentoring those below them, no one should notice "a ripple in the pool" because their replacements will step in and do a great job. With all due respect, I regret to inform them that we'll notice. We will most certainly notice. The general public may not, but we certainly will. 

Captain Joe Tjaden

Joe Tjaden started his career with the Rapid City Fire Department on August 1, 1998. In 2000, Joe became a Paramedic after attending an intense, 6-month course through Swedish Hospital in Denver, CO. He promoted to Captain on June 1, 2011. Joe is one of the most well-known and respected instructors in the area. Each year he teaches a number of classes ranging from EMS to Hazardous Materials to wildland fire. Joe is a highly qualified wildland firefighter with a wealth of experience in several roles and currently serves as a Structural Protection Specialist with the Rocky Mountain Area Type 2 Incident Management  Team- Blue. Most recently, Captain Tjaden was assigned to Station 6 and lead the Rapid City/Pennington County Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Team (Hazmat). His knowledge and experience have been a tremendous asset for the last 22 years. 

While we will miss Joe here at the Rapid City Fire Department, we will have the opportunity to work with Joe as he will continue to serve as Fire Chief at the Rapid Valley Volunteer Fire Department where he has been active since 1994. Joe's dedication to the fire service and his dedication to education and training is unsurpassed. Ask almost any firefighter in the Black Hills and they'll likely say that they have benefited from Joe's knowledge, tutelage, and experience in one way or another. 

Training Section Chief Matt Culberson

Beginning his career on May 7, 1990, Matt established himself as the consummate "whatever the department needs" kind of guy. In September 2000, Matt promoted to Lieutenant and was stationed at Rapid City Regional Airport's Fire Station 8. With expertise in the area of hazardous materials, Chief Matt was a fixture as a member of the Hazmat team and was promoted to Captain at Station 6 on September 1, 2009. Matt relished the opportunity to excel in any role and viewed each role as an opportunity to help make the organization better. On January 1, 2014, he stepped into the challenging role of Training Section Chief.

As Training Section Chief, Matt was tasked with overseeing the delivery of global training. While in that position, he helped bring Target Solutions to the department. He helped develop the Fire Training Specialist and EMS Training Specialist positions which further enhanced the ability of the Training Section to deliver high-quality education to our members. Chief Matt reports that a long to-do list awaits him in retirement. He is looking forward to completing tasks around his home, enjoying new hobbies and spending more time with his family. 

Battalion Chief Tim Daly

Tim Daly is currently the longest-tenured member of the department having started his RCFD career on October 2, 1986. His career in EMS dates back to July of 1979 when he began working for the Rapid City/Pennington County Ambulance Service. Chief Daly is among the most respected and best-known individuals in the history of the organization. He has an incredibly strong background in wildland firefighting and is the last active member of our department to have fought the Westberry Trails Fire. For 34 years, Chief Daly has dedicated himself to being the best and most well-rounded firefighter possible. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1995, Captain in 1999, and Battalion Chief on April 1, 2010. 

While his career with the Rapid City Fire Department is coming to a close, his fire service career will continue. Chief Daly will continue to work intermittently at the United States Forest Service where he has worked since 2003 and will continue his role as an Operations Section Chief trainee with the Rocky Mountain Area Type 1 Incident Management Team. With his retirement, Chief Daly will now have the opportunity to spend more time with his family, his three grandchildren in particular. 

Fire Chief Rod Seals

Throughout his 25 year career, Rod Seals has held rank at every level of the department. This speaks to his talent, knowledge, and dedication to our profession. Rod is highly trained in the area of technical rescue with particular expertise in the area of water rescue. He was promoted to Lieutenant on January 1, 2007, with a focus in the area of training. Three years to the day later, he was promoted to Captain taking over duties and responsibilities at the Airport Fire Station. After a brief stop at Station 8, Seals became the C-Shift Battalion Chief on November 1, 2010. He remained in that role until he was promoted to Deputy Fire Chief in 2015. 

With the retirement of then-Fire Chief Mike Maltaverne on January 1, 2017, Chief Seals was named Interim Fire Chief by Mayor Steve Allender. Chief Seals retained the interim role for twelve months and fifteen days until he was selected by Mayor Allender to become the 18th Fire Chief in the history of the Rapid City Fire Department on January 16, 2018. During his time as Chief, Seals has established himself as a highly respected leader of the organization. His legacy will include the establishment of an employee-led mental health initiative and the development of a training facility, among many other noteworthy achievements and accomplishments. A talented welder, Chief Seals hopes to devote time to renew his passion for welding and looks forward to spending time with his wife and two children. 

It should be noted that these four outstanding and devoted individuals have chosen to retire at this time as a way to continue to serve the citizens of our community. Their decision to retire helps stave off potential future layoffs as a result of budget concerns. By choosing to step aside, they have paved the way for others to continue their careers. Should our department have the opportunity to hire new employees, their decision to retire opens the door for others to begin their careers. These four exemplify servant leadership and what it means to lead from the front.

On a personal note, I have spent a great deal of time pondering these retirements and what it means for our department. Each one of us is fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with these gentlemen. Each one of us is better for having had the chance to learn from the four of them. Each member of our department also has a weighty responsibility to continue to carry on their legacy of excellence and leadership.

It’s been an absolute pleasure, fellas. Congratulations on your much deserved, hard-earned retirement, and most importantly, thank you on behalf of each and every one of us.

-Lt. Bussell