Western States Fire Protection - South Dakota
The current Western States Fire Protection South Dakota group servicing South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, and Nebraska comprises 2 offices, located in Rapid City - Fort Collins, South Dakota, and Casper, Wyoming. This fire protection group actually started as Prairie Fire Systems, and was purchased by Western States Fire Protection in 1994. Leonard VanAusdle is the current Operations Manager. Leonard has 22 years of experience in the fire protection field and started with WSFP as Operations Manager in 2010.
There are 80 employees between the two offices, 30 office and support staff and 50 field personnel. Office and field staff includes salesmen (for contract work and the service side), sprinkler fitters, inspectors, designers/project managers, alarm and detection (A&D) technicians, and foremen. There are 13 UA STAR certified fitters (Leonard VanAusdle is also UA STAR certified); 5 Design Project Managers who have their NICET Level 3 certification, and 1 Project Manager with a NICET Level 4 certification.
The WSFP South Dakota group considers life safety the most important part of their work. By presenting the Western States Fire Protection offices as a one-stop shop for fire protection safety and providing a high level of customer service WSFP South Dakota has established and maintained a strong customer base. A full-service operation where no work is sub-contracted out and that competitors can't match is what these Western States Fire Protection offices continually strive for. Leonard VanAusdle and his staff follow a simple rule: treat our fire protection clients the same way we would prefer to be treated if we were the customer. By keeping the lines of communication open with clients, by going out to current job sites and locations, as well as staying in touch after the job is done - this leads to satisfied customers and repeat fire protection business, along with referrals for fire safety work.
The Western States Fire Protection South Dakota office and/or staff are members/participants of the following professional organizations and charitable events:
- National Association of Homebuilders Association (NAHB)
- Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA)
- National Disaster Awareness Fair (Attendee)
- Rapid City Christian High School (Donor)
- Casper College Fire Science School
Leonard VanAusdle can be contacted at the Rapid City-Fort Collins office, as well as through LinkedIn:
The Western States Fire Protection South Dakota offices have worked with a wide variety of clients and industries, including meat packing plants, building and property managers, general contractors, single and multi-family residences, homebuilders, and many others. One of the areas of concentration is service work, including A&D, special hazards, corrosion management, fire extinguishers, inspections, and maintenance agreements. One could argue that Leonard VanAusdle and his staff handle one of the largest geographical areas of any WSFP branch or group. The area that Leonard and his group are responsible for includes Rapid City, Spearfish, Sioux Falls, Pierre, Aberdeen, Mitchell, Watertown, Yankton, and Brookings, South Dakota; Williston, Dickinson, Minot, Bismarck, Jamestown, Devils Lake, Fargo and Grand Forks, North Dakota; Gillette, Cheyenne, Laramie, Rock Springs, Sheridan, Cody, Riverton, and Casper, Wyoming; and Chadron, Scottsbluff, Sidney, Valentine and North Platte, Nebraska. Western States Fire Protection South Dakota and Wyoming offices offer 24-hour emergency response to all of these areas, handling fire protection service calls and providing quick follow-up on all calls. Another area of expertise includes explaining and assisting current and prospective clients in meeting municipal fire codes and passing fire marshal inspections.
What's in store for the future of Western States Fire Protection South Dakota? Leonard VanAusdle expects that radio monitoring will become more widespread throughout the four state area that the WSFP offices cover. Using backup power supplies and dedicated radio frequencies, radio monitoring can be more reliable than conventional alarm systems. The monitoring stations are owned and operated by Western States Fire Protection, ensuring a fast response to any situation. Leonard is also concentrating on service work in the long term, from fire extinguishers and sprinkler systems to inspections and special hazards.
