Fire
November 17th, 2009 by 
Alica
It looks like the Brandon Volunteer Fire Department got to put its newest fire truck to work the night it was unveiled.
The fire truck was to be unveiled at last night’s city council meeting, which began at 6 p.m.
By 9 p.m., several fire departments were at a home on S. Splitrock Avenue, where a detached garage burned.
As I write this, details of the fire aren’t available. Stay tuned to brandoninfo.com and argusleader.com to learn more. Or post here anything you might know, or questions about the fire.
Posted in Uncategorized, Seeking sources | 
November 17th, 2009 at 8:49 am
The new truck was not present on scene
November 17th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
I’ve found out that the truck wasn’t unveiled at the city council meeting as scheduled. The truck isn’t quite finished yet.
I’m sure when it is, is will be a fine addition to the fire department’s fleet.
November 19th, 2009 at 1:50 am
Who built the fire truck???? I sure hope they bought if from Luverne Fire Apparatus in Brandon or Rosenbauer America in Lyons…
November 19th, 2009 at 8:18 am
I believe it’s a Crimson Fire truck. I could be wrong though
November 19th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
It is a Crimson Fire product and you’ll hear more about it in the next few upcoming weeks. The truck needs to be equipped first before it’s put into service. The fire department also plans to “christen” it at some sort of public event. Stay tuned to the Challenger and brandoninfo.com for more details.
November 20th, 2009 at 8:21 am
Why would the public care about the brand of the truck anyway. This blog is lame. Alicia, figure out something interesting to post, otherwise turn it into a forum. Perhaps people are more creative and will bring better points to discuss.
November 20th, 2009 at 9:47 am
To #6: I think people were more concerned whether the truck was purchased locally than the actual brand.
I’m always open to blog topics. If you have ideas, please post them here or e-mail me at apthiele@argusleader.com. I try hard to post the topics people suggest to me.
What topics interest you?
November 20th, 2009 at 10:36 am
I am new in Brandon so I use this site trying to find out more about he community. However, there is a lack if information regarding the overall community. What are people happy/not happy with. How is Brandon dealing with the growth of people, and the economic downturn. Harrisburg is seeing a lot of domestic disputes due to the low income people moving there….how do we prevent this from happening in our town. Also, I apologize for the less than pleasant comment above.
November 20th, 2009 at 11:03 am
To #8: Here on www.brandoninfo.com, there is a community guide. I admit I need to update it, but there is a lot of good information there about city parks, schools, businesses and etc.
Another good online resource is www.brandonsd.com, which has links to both the city Web site and the Brandon Valley Area Chamber of Commerce Web site.
I encourage you to subscribe to the Brandon Valley Challenger if you don’t already. It is a weekly paper that comes out each Wednesday. It’s also available at newsstands and in the public library. Subscription information is in each issue.
Another resource is the Brandon Community Guide, which is available at the Brandon Valley Challenger office, 1400 E. Cedar St., or at the Chamber office, 109 N. Pipestone St.
As for your other questions, they cover pretty wide topics and would be hard to answer in one post. I can tell you that Brandon has a 20-year comprehensive plan that is reviewed regularly. There is a planning and zoning commission in place that just last year updated the city’s zoning laws.
Brandon has been one of the fastest growing cities in South Dakota for 20 or more years and is the 13th largest city in the state. It could be the fifth largest city in the state within the next 20 years.
Brandon planners have worked with Sioux Falls planners for at least the last 20 years to coordinate roads, water and recreational facilities as the cities grow closer together. The borders of the two cities, at their closest point, are less than one mile apart.
Brandon has seen less growth in the last couple of years, probably due to the economic downturn. But that just means we’re building 40-50 houses a year instead of 100. In other words, Brandon continues to grow.
The local Chamber of Commerce aggressively encourages the Buy Brandon campaign to keep sales tax dollars in the city and to inform people of what products and services are available right here in town. The Brandon Industrial Association, in conjunction with the city and the Minnehaha County Economic Development Association, aggressively courts clean industry to locate in Brandon.
The Brandon Valley School district continues to review its short and long term goals so that it is ready when growth occurs. The board has a longstanding reputation for paying fair wages to faculty and staff and keeping its facilities in good working order.
No city is without its problems, but Brandon is a progressive city that tries hard to keep its ducks in a row. Of course, I could be prejudiced. I grew up here.
I will start a new thread asking people to post what they think are Brandon’s strengths and in what ways they wish Brandon would improve.
Thank you for blogging.
December 1st, 2009 at 4:18 pm
How do we stop low income people from moving to town??? STOP BUILDING APARTMENTS!
December 11th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
Oh yes, because we all know that only high income people should live in Brandon!?!
December 20th, 2009 at 9:58 am
You guys are lucky to have a decent volunteer fire department. There’s towns the size of Brandon where the fire department is a bunch of retards and you’re basically on your own if the house starts on fire.
The problem with any volunteer department (fire, ems etc..) is that lack of the REAL thing means you have to train like crazy to keep sharp.
So good to see you have a fire department that is investing in itself and good that you support it.