Pennington County is one of South Dakota’s most geographically and operationally complex counties. While largely rural, the county is also home to Rapid City — the state’s second largest city and home to Mount Rushmore National Memorial.
During busy summer days, as many as 160,000 people are in Pennington, requiring ongoing coordination between public safety agencies. With such rural and rugged terrain dominating the county, broadband coverage was a challenge for local first responders trying to communicate.
Finding a connection in rural South Dakota
“Our office is the heart and soul of disaster response” in Rapid City and Pennington County, said Dustin Willett, director of Rapid City-Pennington County Emergency Management, an all-hazards agency charged with securing the county for residents and visitors. But with only four full-time employees and a dedicated team of volunteers, Willett acknowledged, “We can’t leverage a lot of human resources against disasters.”
Limited resources meant Willett and his team needed to be strategic to maximize their impact. To address communication challenges, the office equipped staff with FirstNet devices and integrated FirstNet into their daily operations. Due to the network’s reliability, functionality and unique features, FirstNet quickly became a force multiplier for the office.
Now, with nearly a decade of experience on the network, FirstNet is integral to everything Rapid City-Pennington County Emergency Management does. From large-scale events to day-to-day operations in the county, the office relies on FirstNet’s coverage, reliability, and assets to help combat the challenges they have historically faced.
In the face of history, FirstNet stands the test
Mount Rushmore frequently serves as the backdrop for large-scale events in the county. With dignitaries and national leaders in attendance, these events often require coordination among local, state, and federal agencies.
“Events at Mt. Rushmore would be challenging to pull off without good communications support,” Willett explained.
To ensure communications run smoothly, Rapid City-Pennington County Emergency Management relies on FirstNet’s priority and preemption capabilities and FirstNet deployables.
Priority and preemption ensure that responders stay connected, even in large crowds that may congest commercial cell networks. Deployables further bolster coverage on site, so that responders have a communications connection they can rely on, even in the remote mountainside.
When thousands of tourists gathered at the iconic monument in celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, the agency turned to FirstNet to support public safety communications and event operations. The FirstNet Response Operations Group deployed two Low Earth Orbit cell trailers — portable, towable mobile cell sites that bring high-speed, temporary cellular coverage to relieve network congestion during large-scale events. The mobile cell sites provided enhanced connectivity, giving local, state, and federal personnel on site the ability to communicate seamlessly.
Keeping responders connected during wildfires and natural disasters
“One of the things that’s always been a shining star in our relationship with FirstNet has been the ability to leverage deployables during incidents,” Willett said. “We don’t pick and choose when and where disasters happen,” Willett acknowledged. In those instances, FirstNet deployables grant them the reliable connection they need to operate from anywhere in the county.
On March 18, 2026, the Coyote Flats Fire began near the Black Hills National Forest, growing quickly. “The fire was already licking up the side of the houses by the time the fire department got there,” Willett said. Evacuations began quickly. The flames impacted the cellular infrastructure serving the remote region. Instead of relying on endangered communications lines, Rapid City-Pennington County Emergency Management requested a deployable to ensure connectivity at their incident command post.
“When we do those wildfire evacuations like we did for the Coyote Flats fire, not only are we leveraging wireless emergency alerts through iPods, but we are using our FirstNet mobile devices to access mapping technology to provide accountability and tracking for door-to-door evacuations,” said Willett. “The FirstNet network allows us to send and receive data at incident command post,” he continued.
Broadband supports search-and-rescue and public warnings
The office also relies on FirstNet deployables during search-and-rescue efforts that take place in remote parts of the county. With a solid connection, teams can relay data and communications to their incident command post, allowing them to maintain situational awareness and direct hundreds of volunteer search members. The team also operates drones, mapping technologies, and tracking applications over the FirstNet network, enabling them to search more effectively across remote terrain.
Rapid City-Pennington County Emergency Management also uses FirstNet to distribute public warning messages to county residents. Messages highlight severe weather warnings, evacuations, chemical leaks, and more. With FirstNet, responders can send messages in any emergency.
An eye to the future
“In rural America and Frontier America, you can do incredible things with force multiplication, broadband, and apps. But the bottom line is — coverage is still king,” explained Willett.
Willett and his team remain invested in FirstNet, knowing that FirstNet is invested in public safety. “Because of how it is congressionally mandated, FirstNet will continue to build towers where no commercial entity would ever build a tower — and that is huge for Rapid City-Pennington County Emergency Management,” said Willett.