| Fire department | City | County | Career firefighters | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sioux Falls Fire Rescue | Sioux Falls | Minnehaha | 197 | Official site |
| Rapid City Fire Department | Rapid City | Pennington | 125 | Official site |
| Ellsworth Air Force Base (FDID #02019) | Ellsworth Afb | Pennington | 58 | — |
| Aberdeen Fire Rescue | Aberdeen | Brown | 48 | Official site |
| Watertown Fire Rescue | Watertown | Codington | 36 | — |
| South Dakota Air National Guard | Sioux Falls | Minnehaha | 25 | — |
| Mitchell Fire & Ambulance | Mitchell | Davison | 21 | — |
| Doland Fire Department | Doland | Spink | 18 | — |
| Frederick Area Fire Department | Frederick | Brown | 17 | — |
| Fort Meade Fire Department | Fort Meade | Meade | 12 | — |
| Department of Veterans Affairs - Black Hills Health Fire Department | Hot Springs | Fall River | 11 | — |
| Huron Rural Fire Department | Huron | Beadle | 9 | — |
| Vermillion Fire EMS Department | Vermillion | Clay | 5 | Official site |
| Keystone Fire Department | Keystone | Pennington | 4 | — |
| Brookings Fire Department | Brookings | Brookings | 2 | Official site |
| Piedmont Fire Department | Piedmont | Meade | 2 | — |
| Pierre Airport Fire & Rescue | Pierre | Hughes | 2 | — |
| Spearfish Fire Department | Spearfish | Lawrence | 2 | Official site |
| Yankton Fire Protection District | Yankton | Yankton | 2 | Official site |
| Box Elder Volunteer Fire Department | Box Elder | Pennington | 1 | Official site |
| City of Pierre Fire Department | Pierre | Hughes | 1 | Official site |
| Hill City Fire Department | Hill City | Pennington | 1 | — |
| Madison Fire Department | Madison | Lake | 1 | — |
| North Sioux City Fire Department | North Sioux City | Union | 1 | — |
Largest first by career firefighters, as each employer reports it to its federal registry.
Source: U.S. Fire Administration (FEMA), National Fire Department Registry. Data captured September 30, 2026.