South Dakota
State law requires every fire (including deaths) to be reported to the State Fire Marshal, but that incident data is not published at the county level, and the public data collector is not populated.
Why this state isn't scored
The Fireground Index scores one comparable metric — the civilian fire-death rate — computed from exact per-county death counts and Census population. For South Dakota, no public source provides those counts completely and unsuppressed for all 66 counties. Rather than publish estimated, partial, or suppressed figures, the state is shown here transparently.
Sources checked
| Source | What it provides |
|---|---|
| South Dakota State Fire Marshal / DPS (dps.sd.gov) | Collects mandatory NFIRS incident reports (SDCL 34-29B) but publishes no per-county fire-fatality table, dashboard, or annual report — only a departmental reporting portal. |
| NASFM Fire Fatality Data Hub — South Dakota (incl. its public dashboard) | The county-bearing layer has 0 records; the only populated layer is a 2,775-row generic-template victim table with no South Dakota county field. The dashboard is a shell over empty data. |
| USFA/FEMA state profile & CDC WONDER (X00–X09 by county) | USFA is statewide-only (no county breakdown); CDC WONDER is residence-based and small-count suppressed (under 10 blanked) — nearly every rural county hidden. |
What failed the source gate
Every state must clear this public-source standard before it is scored:
- Public & authoritative (a state fire-marshal / fire-agency or primary record)
- County-level (or the jurisdiction's county-equivalents)
- Civilian fire deaths, incident-based (counted where the fire occurred; firefighter line-of-duty excluded)
- Exact counts — not rates, not statistically suppressed small cells
- All counties present, with zero-death counties verifiable (not ambiguous omission)
- A recent 5-year window, or a best-available clearly-labeled window
Not met for South Dakota:
- A per-county breakdown (SFM data unpublished; USFA statewide only)
- Unsuppressed exact counts (CDC WONDER suppresses under 10)
- An incident-based county census (only residence-based vital stats reach county grain)
- All 66 counties present with verifiable zeros
What data would unlock scoring
A per-county, incident-based civilian fire-death count table (all 66 counties, explicit zeros) for a recent window.
Could a records request unlock it?
Likely yes. A records request for per-county civilian fire-fatality counts by year from the mandatory NFIRS reports the SFM already holds — or NASFM populating the South Dakota layer — would unlock scoring.
Relevant office: South Dakota State Fire Marshal (dps.sd.gov/contact/online-form/fire-marshal)
Have this data? Help make South Dakota scoreable.
If you work with a state fire marshal’s office, fire-service data program, or public-health agency and can share a complete, per-county civilian fire-death dataset, we will evaluate it against the public-source standard and — if it qualifies — publish a fully-cited scorecard for South Dakota.
Contact the Fireground team (opens in a new tab)