FORT TOTTEN – The Spirit Lake Tribe and Spirit Lake Fire Department were represented this past week by Fire Chief Joseph Jetty at a tribal summit and a wildfire training with the North Dakota National Guard, according to information from the tribe.

On Wednesday, Sept. 4, Jetty co-facilitated a workshop alongside Emily Sitting Bear, director of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation Emergency Operations Center (MHA EOC), at the 28th Annual Tribal Leaders Summit in Bismarck. Their joint presentation emphasized the “handshake partnership” between Spirit Lake and MHA Nation, one of the first formal intertribal emergency response collaborations in the country. This cooperative framework has supported wildland fire suppression, search and rescue missions and other joint emergency responses across North Dakota.

“Working side by side with our relatives from MHA Nation shows what is possible when tribes lead the way in building emergency response capacity,” said Chief Jetty. “We have built trust through action, and that relationship saves lives.”

Later in the week, Chief Jetty was invited by the North Dakota Forestry Service to assist in teaching at the Rookie Wildland Fire Course for the North Dakota National Guard. The training held Sept. 5-7, included both classroom and field instruction for nearly 80 Guard members, the largest class to date.

According to Aaron Buecholz, Cooperative Fire AFMO for the N.D. Forestry Service, the partnership ensures that Guard members are ready to step in when wildfire resources are stretched thin.

“Every year we bring in interagency partners to strengthen the training. Chief Jetty has been an incredible asset — not just for this class, but for building long-term trust between state and tribal responders,” Buecholz said in the tribe’s news release.

The Spirit Lake Fire Department’s engagement at both events underscores the tribe’s role as a regional and national leader in emergency response, intertribal collaboration, and state-tribal partnerships, according to information from the tribe.