Fire Chief:  Eric Paul

Eric joined the department in May 1991 and took a break from April 1997 to October 1999 when he rejoined the department and has been active since.  Eric has held a Captains position for the 2 years before becoming Cheif now in 2008.    Eric strives to learn and be a good leader.  Eric's dad Gordy was on the department for over 25 years until his retirement in June 2007 and that peaked Eric's interest in joining.  Eric was chosen Firefighter of the Year in 2004 by the department membership.  Eric's knowledge of mechanicing has made the department apparatus run smoother and more efficiently.

Chief Paul can be reached at chief.fortpierrefire@midconetwork.com for fire department related business.

Assistant Chief:  Rick Cronin

Rick joined the department at age 16 in 1986 and has just completed his 21st year with the fire service.  Rick has held positions of Chief from 1996 through 2002 and again in 2006; Assistant Chief in 1995, 2007 and now in 2008; Captain in 1989, 1991 through 1994;  and Board of Director from 2003 through 2005.  Rick was also chosen as the Firefighter of the Year in 1988 and in 1992 by the department membership.  He is also certified as a  South Dakota Fire Service Instructor.  He is very knowledgeable on ISO requirements and was instrumental with having the city and fire department reclassified from a class 6 to a class 4 rating in 2003.  Rick has extensive background in the Fort Pierre Fire Department as he grew up with his dad; two of his brothers; and one sister on the department.  Currently, two of his brothers and two of his nephews are on the department with him and his son and daughter are anxiously waiting to turn 18 to possibly join also.    Rick is very proud of his family of firefighters as well as the rest of the members for sacrificing their time and efforts to help others in need.

Assistant Chief Cronin can be reached at assistantchief.fortpierrefire@midconetwork.com for fire department related business.

First Captain:  Mark Menning

Mark joined the department in May 2004 and is in his 3rd year as a Captain.  However, Mark excels at working hard and takes in as much training as possible to enhance his abilities - both as a firefighter and as an officer.  Mark can be counted on for any task - day or night and carries out his duties very well.  Mark also makes training and work sessions fun by his good humor and willingness to participate.  Mark was also chosen as the Firefighter of the Year for 2007 by the department and was given the award at the fire department banquet in March 2008.  Congratulations, Mark on a job well done!

Captain Menning can be reached at captain1.fortpierrefire@midconetwork.com for fire department related business.

Second Captain:  Dave Laroche

Dave joined the department in 1993 and has been active since then.  Although this is his first year as a fire officer, he has held the position of Secretary and as Treasurer of the department in the past.  Being the oldest officer on the staff, Dave also is the only current officer that is a grandfather.

Captain Laroche can be reached at captain2.fortpierrefire@midconetwork.com for fire department related business.

Third Captain:  Cody Lengkeek

Cody joined the department in 2006 and has been very active since then.  Although Cody has only been on our department for 2 years, he had previous firefighting experience in another department before moving to Fort Pierre in 2005.  His overall fire service experience started in 2003.  Cody can be found quite often at the fire hall in the off hours  working on equipment; training or other duties as needed.

Captain Lengkeek can be reached at captain3.fortpierrefire@midconetwork.com for fire department related business.