The Rapid City Fire Department Welcomes Eighteen To Join the Ranks Of Rapid City's Bravest

New recruits begin Fire Training Academy

 

Rapid City, S.D. - The Rapid City Fire Department has added eighteen recruits to begin their careers with the department. The newest RCFD recruits were hired to help with the department's increasing call volume, as well as to help fill vacancies left by those who have retired. Four of the recruits have already been working for the department as EMS only and will now join the new fourteen members to go through the twelve week academy. Graduation will take place for all eighteen recruits on November 19, 2021. 

 

The recruits are:

 

Laura Adrian - Recruit Adrian started with the Rapid City Fire Department in January of 2021 as EMS only and in June of 2021 was able to complete her Paramedic certification. She started in Fire and EMS with Battle Creek Fire Department in 2018 and has also worked with Keystone Ambulance and Custer County Search and Rescue. Recruit Adrian enjoys portrait photography, teaching music, hiking, rock climbing, and writing.

 

Daniel Ames - Recruit Ames grew up on a farm in Northeastern South Dakota. He developed a fondness for being outside and playing in the dirt with farm animals. As Recruit Ames grew older, he focused on sports and academics. He says his adventurous spirit brought him to the Black Hills where he attended college. After graduating, he moved to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado where he played music, hiked hundreds of mountains, snowboarded, guided snowmobiles, played softball, and golfed extensively. Eventually, Recruit Ames joined the United States Forest Service and discovered wildland firefighting while working as a dispersed camping ranger. After he spent the summer working for the United States Forest Service in Montana, he was excited to come back to the Black Hills and settle into a lifelong career. 

 

Zachary Auer - Recruit Auer grew up in Colorado, but moved to Laramie, Wyoming when he was 18 years old. He attended the University of Wyoming to become a high school math teacher, but ended up falling in love with the fire service while volunteering on the side. He enjoys fly fishing, big game hunting, duck hunting, golfing, and leather working. Recruit Auer married his wife in June of 2021 and says they are excited to start their new lives in Rapid City.

 

Luke Biers - Recruit Biers was born in Omaha, Nebraska, but raised here in Rapid City. He became an EMT right before he got hired with the Rapid City Fire Department. During his free time he enjoys going to the gym, golfing, hiking, snowboarding, fishing, and spending time with family and friends. 

 

Justin Budd - Recruit Budd grew up on a buffalo ranch in Nebraska. He graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice. Recruit Budd served as a law enforcement officer in Nebraska for a few years and fell in love with helping the community. He says he has always wanted to serve as a firefighter medic and is excited he now has the opportunity to do so. 

 

Daniel Butchart - Recruit Butchart grew up in a small town in California. He has two years experience as an EMT and is also a Paramedic. Recruit Butchart says he wanted to be a firefighter paramedic since he was seven years old. 

 

Bryce Cartee - Recruit Cartee moved to Rapid City from Billings, Montana and is originally from Davenport, Iowa. He's been a volunteer firefighter for five years and an EMT for almost two years. Recruit Cartee has one cat named Purr Monster and enjoys doing anything outdoors, including biking, running, and kayaking. He says he is very excited for the opportunity to work for the Rapid City Fire Department and can't wait to expand his medical and fire knowledge. 

 

Connor Cumella - Recruit Cumella was born in the Black Hills and enjoys camping, hiking, golfing and just about anything involving the outdoors. He enjoys spending most of his time with his family and dog. Recruit Cumella says he's always wanted to do something greater than himself and getting to work for the Rapid City Fire Department is a great way for him to give back to the great community that he grew up in. 

 

Ethan Esposti - Recruit Esposti was born and raised in the Black Hills. He went to high school in Hill City and has worked in Fire and EMS since 2014. Recruit Esposti has been a Paramedic since 2017. He enjoys climbing and backpacking in his free time and is happy to be here. 

 

Luke Fyke - Recruit Fyke was born and raised in Lombard, Illinois. He joined the military after high school and served just under seven years in the Air Force as an electrician. Recruit Fyke got out of the military in 2018 at Ellsworth Air Force Base and worked as a Generator Technician and a Fire Alarm Technician here in Rapid City. He joined the fire service for the brotherhood and camaraderie. In his free time he likes to hunt, ice fish and spend time with his girlfriend. 

 

Kyle Grim - Recruit Grim was born in Burke, South Dakota but raised most of his life in Sioux Falls. He graduated from Roosevelt High School and joined the South Dakota Army National Guard shortly after graduation. Recruit Grim deployed to Iraq in 2007 as a medic, doing convoy operations. After deployment, he changed units to the 730th Area Support Medical Company in Vermillion, South Dakota, which is where he met his wife, McKenzie. Recruit Grim says they have been married for 8 years. They have a four year old daughter and a baby boy on the way. He says they moved to Rapid City to be closer to his guard unit and is excited to live here, plant his roots here and grow his family. 

 

Shelynd Halls - Recruit Halls being only 20 years old, says high school wasn't that long ago for her, but in high school she was part of the Health Occupations Academy, an alternative program that allowed all her classes to be health based. That's where she learned about helping the community and had received a job to shadow health professionals in her home town of Wyoming, which is where she found fire. The last three years, Recruit Halls found herself back in South Dakota, where she got onto a crew for the state and put her certifications to use. She says being a part of a 20 man hand crew was such a phenomenal learning experience. This year, Recruit Halls decided to follow her dreams and follow in her Uncle Larry Bray's footsteps and become a member of the Rapid City Fire Department. She has a seven year old brother that looks up to her and she says he is her world. She is excited for her future at the Rapid City Fire Department. 

 

Derek Lothspeich - Recruit Lothspeich was born and raised in Black Hawk, South Dakota. He graduated from Stevens High School in 2016, then graduated from Black Hills State University in 2020. During college, Recruit Lothspeich worked as a wildland firefighter and found a passion for fire service, leaving him to pursue a full time career as a firefighter. During his days off, he enjoys fly fishing, mountain biking and rock climbing. 

 

Kassidy Marta - Recruit Marta was born in Seattle, Washington and grew up in the Black Hills. She has been active with sports and adventures throughout her life. Recruit Marta sought out various career avenues and found difficulty with finding passion for those careers. She started her journey with EMS and Fire after a single ride-along with the Rapid City Fire Department. Less than two years later, she finished her degree as a Paramedic. Recruit Marta says she has been blessed with becoming part of the Rapid City Fire Department family and found where her passion is as well as where her family is. 

 

Chris Metcalfe - Recruit Metcalfe was born and raised in Southern California. He was able to follow his former career to Rapid City three and half years ago. Recruit Metcalfe and his wife have three daughters. He discovered volunteer firefighting through Whispering Pines Volunteer Fire Department after he moved here and followed his childhood dreams of becoming a career firefighter medic with the Rapid City Fire Department. 

 

Clayton Schleusner - Recruit Schleusner is from the Minneapolis area. He comes from a family of five kids, four boys and one girl. He is married with two kids, one boy and one girl and has a dog. Recruit Schleusner used to play football for a living and is now excited to start his career as a firefighter at the Rapid City Fire Department. 

 

Peter Smith - Recruit Smith was born and raised in Central Iowa. He attended Northwestern College in Iowa, where he was on the cross country and track team. Recruit Smith lived and worked in the Black Hills after college and during this time started to pursue a career in Fire and EMS. He enjoys climbing, running, hiking, and playing soccer. Recruit Smith says when he's not being active in his free time, he enjoys trying new restaurants with his family. 

Sage Stephens - Recruit Stephens was born in Dade City, Florida. Prior to getting a job at the Rapid City Fire Department he was a Driver Engineer/Paramedic with the Lakeland Fire Department. During his time with the Lakeland Fire Department, he obtained his Associate's Degree in EMS and became a member of Lakeland Fire's Urban Search and Rescue Team. Recruit Stephens moved to Rapid City with his wife and two dogs. He says they enjoy traveling and exploring as a family. 

 

 

 

 

 

The Rapid City Fire Department is excited to have these outstanding recruits join our ranks. Please join us in congratulating and welcoming these fine individuals.

 

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