Fund Gives $20,000 to Widow of Fallen Sturgis Firefighter

STURGIS, SD. (AP) — A couple has started a community fund to help the families of first responders in Sturgis, after a firefighter died in the line of duty.

The Albert and Laverne Elliott First Responders Fund at the Black Hills Area Community Foundation is named for the couple who donated $20,000 to start the fund.

The initial donation was presented Monday to the widow of 43-year-old David Fischer. He was killed last month while fighting a house fire in Tilford. Eighty-two-year-old homeowner Raymond Bachmeier also died.

Fischer served as an assistant fire chief of the Sturgis Volunteer Fire Department and was a 22-year veteran of the department. He was also a member of the Rapid City-based 82nd Civil Support team with the South Dakota National Guard.