Rod Seals Obituary, Death Cause – The Rapid City Fire Department would like to express its deepest condolences to Rod Seals’ family and friends on the passing of the former Fire Chief. Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time. Rod Seals had reached the age where he could retire from the Fire Department. In June of 1995, Chief Seals got his start in the fire service by joining the Rapid City Fire Department.
This was the beginning of a long and successful career. Since then, he has worked his way up through the ranks of the department, finally earning the title of Division Chief of Fire Operations in addition to the many other positions he has had. In November of 2015, he was promoted to the position of Deputy Fire Chief and given the responsibilities of Fire Chief interimly. This promotion took place.
These actions were carried out in advance of his official nomination to the job of Fire Chief, which is anticipated to take place in the not-too-distant future. Not only was Chief Seals an influential leader for him during the time that he spent working for the Department, but Chief Seals was also a close friend and a guide for him at that time. It is his intention to formally step down from his positions with the Rapid City Fire Department and the city of Rapid City after having served a combined total of 25 years in both of those capacities.
His planned retirement date is the month of June 2020. His dedication to the department he worked for and the warmth of his personality will be what people in this city and the surrounding areas remember him for the longest. He will be especially missed by his family and friends at the RCFD. We have been deeply saddened by the passing of a treasured team member who played an important part in the lives of a large number of different people. The passing of Chief Seals will be a tragedy that will be exceedingly challenging to overcome.