Philip Volunteer Fire Department

Fire Chief: Matt Reckling
Assistant Fire Chief: Roger Williams
Secretary: Mike Schultz
Treasurer: Brock Hanson / Blake Puhlman

Mailing Address: PO Box 584, Philip, SD 57567-0584

Fire Insurance Rating - Public Protection Classification: 06 & 06/6X

The Philip Volunteer Fire Department is a non-profit organization in good standing. It is made up of 43 members that donate their time and energy away from work and family to serve and protect the community. The following is a summary of what they are made of:

• The Philip Volunteer Fire Department serves rural communities in Haakon, Jackson, and eastern Pennington Counties in western South Dakota. They are also known to respond to calls outside their coverage area in the capacity of “automatic and mutual aid” to help and assist neighboring fire departments.

• The Philip Volunteer Fire Department is responsible for fire protection of an area that covers approximately 2,000 square miles. The area includes two communities with a combined population of approximately 907 residents.

• The Philip Volunteer Fire Department responds to a wide variety of calls, such as, but not limited to: small grass fires, large prairie fires, structural fires, any hazardous material spills, and assists the local ambulance service with vehicle accidents where extraction and/or fire danger exists.

• The Philip Volunteer Fire Department consists of both a wildland and structure fire division. The volunteer members attend trainings and certifications each year to stay current with all of the fire codes and regulations as well as to maintain the fire insurance rating for the community.

• Donations fund 80% of the Philip Fire Department’s income. To raise the donations, the Fire Department hosts numerous fundraisers throughout each year. This include, but are not limited to: Demolition Derbies, Fireman’s Ball (111th annual in 2020), 4th of July Fireworks Display and community meals. 

• The Philip Volunteer Fire Department built a new Fire Hall in 1997 with donations being the main source of funding.

• The members of the unit also donate their time to do all of the needed repairs and maintenance on the fire trucks and hall.

• The members can be called upon to assist local individuals in need of assistance, i.e. basement floods.

To sum it all up, the Philip Volunteer Fire Department is an outstanding group of people that volunteer their time and energy for the protection of life and safety. The unit is totally volunteer and takes pride in serving the community of Philip and the surrounding areas.