Wildland firefighters face all kinds of hazards during fire season. When firefighters fall ill or get injured, getting them needed medical care is not a matter of simply calling 911. The nearest hospital is often a 300-mile flight away, pushing medical care to another level of urgency in Alaska. Something as simple as a blister […]
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Alaska Fire Medic program: Taking care of firefighters in the field
September 22, 2019 
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Psychological First Aid
September 5, 2019 Comments Off on Psychological First Aid
September 5, 2019 3:00 p.m. swanlakefire We want to give a big shout out to the folks from National Crisis Response Canines on the Kenai Peninsula for getting up really early to visit our fire camp near Sterling yesterday. And to make sure their four-footed-furry friends did not go home without enough belly rubs, they […]
Continue readingMore rain means less wildfire activity in Bristol Bay region
September 3, 2019 Comments Off on More rain means less wildfire activity in Bristol Bay region
Rain continued to put a damper on wildfires burning in the Bristol Bay region of Southwest Alaska on Monday. Cooler, wetter weather has brought rain to most of the fires still burning and smoldering in Southwest Alaska, helping to moderate fire activity. Nearly an inch of rain has fallen at the King Salmon airport in […]
Continue reading Rain brings new challenges for firefighters
September 3, 2019 Comments Off on Rain brings new challenges for firefighters
Rain showers moved over the Deshka Landing Fire yesterday bringing gusty southerly winds. With suppression activities in place and damp weather conditions, fire behavior has remained minimal but isolated sources of heat persist. Firefighters continued to methodically search out and extinguish the fire burning under the surface in the southern portion of the fire. Crews […]
Continue reading Caribou Lake Fire Update – August 27, 2019
August 27, 2019 Comments Off on Caribou Lake Fire Update – August 27, 2019
The Caribou Lake Fire received some rain on Monday; however, the ongoing drought conditions have caused the vegetation and ground to remain excessively dry. Crews continued to work toward 100 percent containment on the fire. Thermal infrared detection indicated that significant heat signatures are over 48 hours old. The fire remained at 900 acres and […]
Continue readingMore firefighters on the way to help with Levelock Fire
August 21, 2019 Comments Off on More firefighters on the way to help with Levelock Fire
More firefighters are on the way to help efforts on the fire burning along the edge of Levelock in the Bristol Bay area. Type 2 emergency firefighter crews from Hooper Bay and Chevak are scheduled to arrive in Levelock today to help the eight smokejumpers and community members already fighting to keep the Levelock Fire […]
Continue readingSmokejumpers, villagers work to keep Levelock Fire at bay
August 20, 2019 Comments Off on Smokejumpers, villagers work to keep Levelock Fire at bay
11:40 a.m. Aug. 20, 2019 Eight Alaska smokejumpers, aided by heavy equipment and villagers, were able to secure two sections of the Levelock Fire that crossed the dozer line and encroached into the village late Monday night. As of this Tuesday, there were no structures lost in the village of Levelock. Smokejumpers estimate the fire […]
Continue reading Dozer line constructed around North Fork Fire northwest of Homer
August 19, 2019 Comments Off on Dozer line constructed around North Fork Fire northwest of Homer
Update at 8 p.m. Firefighters are fortifying a dozer line constructed around the body of North Fork Fire burning northwest of Homer Monday evening and making sure there are no spot fires outside this containment line. The Level 1 “Ready” evacuation notice is still in place for people living along the North Fork Road north […]
Continue reading McKinley Fire burns at least 50 structures; Parks Highway remains closed
August 18, 2019 Comments Off on McKinley Fire burns at least 50 structures; Parks Highway remains closed
A dramatic increase in fire intensity on the McKinley Fire near Mile 88 of the Parks Highway on Sunday afternoon resulted in the loss of at least 50 structures as firefighters and other emergency responders worked furiously to evacuate and rescue residents threatened by the fire. A smoke plume from the McKinley Fire burning along […]
Continue reading Firefighters aggressively fighting fire near North Fork Road in Anchor Point
August 18, 2019 Comments Off on Firefighters aggressively fighting fire near North Fork Road in Anchor Point
Update at 10:20 p.m.: The Type 2 Initial Attack Yukon Crew is en route to join the effort to suppress the North Fork Fire. Original Information: Firefighters and aircraft are aggressively working on a fire burning near the North Fork Road in Anchor Point Sunday night. About 20 firefighters from the Alaska Division of Forestry, […]
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