Aleutians East Borough, Alaska (pop. 3,420), stretches from the Alaska Peninsula into the eastern Aleutian Islands, and none of its communities are linked to each other by road. Five small fire departments are listed by the state: Sand Point VFD in the borough seat, King Cove Fire & Rescue, Akutan VFD, the City of False Pass VFD and Nelson Lagoon Fire & Rescue. Cold Bay has a city ambulance service and clinic but no listed fire department. Call 911 for any emergency.
Sand Point VFD (borough seat, non-emergency)
(907) 383-3700- King Cove Fire & Rescue: (907) 497-2210
- Akutan VFD: (907) 698-2315
- City of False Pass VFD: (907) 548-4270
- Aleutians East Borough office, Sand Point: (907) 383-2699
- King Cove Department of Public Safety, 135 Ram Creek Drive, King Cove, AK 99612, USA
- aleutianseast.org (Aleutians East Borough)
Who Provides Fire Protection in Aleutians East Borough
- City fire departments — Sand Point, King Cove, Akutan and False Pass each list a volunteer fire service among their city facilities. The City of King Cove describes its volunteer department as handling fire suppression, prevention, rescue, emergency medical services, fire investigation and search and rescue.
- Nelson Lagoon Fire & Rescue — listed by the Alaska Division of Fire and Life Safety for the village of Nelson Lagoon (pop. 41 in 2020) on the Bering Sea coast.
The borough itself does not run a fire service: its listed powers are education, taxation and planning. Sand Point and King Cove have city police departments, while Akutan and False Pass have a state-funded Village Public Safety Officer (VPSO). Cold Bay, home to a state-owned 10,415-foot runway, lists EMS/ambulance and a clinic but no fire department, and the state's September 2026 directory has no Cold Bay entry. Which agency dispatches 911 calls in each community is not published.
Fire Departments in Aleutians East Borough
| Department | Type | Main station | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sand Point VFD | Volunteer (city fire and rescue) | Sand Point, AK 99661 (street address not published) | (907) 383-3700 |
| King Cove Fire & Rescue | Volunteer (fire, EMS and rescue) | 135 Ram Creek Dr, King Cove, AK 99612 | (907) 497-2210 |
| Akutan VFD | Volunteer | Akutan, AK 99553 (street address not published) | (907) 698-2315 |
| City of False Pass VFD | Volunteer | False Pass, AK 99583 (street address not published) | (907) 548-4270 |
| Nelson Lagoon Fire & Rescue | Fire and rescue (staffing not published) | Nelson Lagoon, AK 99571 (street address not published) | (907) 989-4063 |
Volunteer stations are not always staffed. For anything urgent, call 911 rather than a department number.
Estimated Response Time
Because the borough's 6,982 square miles of land are mostly roadless, this estimate uses only each department's own service area: average radius r ≈ √(area ÷ (stations × π)), with 2020 city land areas and one station per department assumed, since station counts are not published. Sand Point (8.0 square miles of land) gives an average distance of roughly 1.6 miles; King Cove (24.7 square miles, with the airport 4.5 miles north of town) gives roughly 2.8 miles. With about 0.5 residents per square mile, the borough is rural, and all crews are volunteers who must first reach the station.
| Radius | Volunteer departments |
|---|---|
| ≤ 1.5 mi | 8–12 min |
| 1.5–3 mi | 10–14 min |
| 3–6 mi | 12–18 min |
| > 6 mi | 18+ min |
Typical expectation: about 10–14 minutes in Sand Point and King Cove, and 12–18 minutes along the King Cove airport road. In Akutan, False Pass and Nelson Lagoon, which have no road links, fire response is limited to the village itself; no estimate is given for outside areas. Remote parts of the borough have no structural fire protection.
Estimated Fire Control Time
| Fire size | Example | Indicative time |
|---|---|---|
| Small | Grass patch, dumpster, small vehicle | 5–20 min |
| Medium | Room-and-contents, car fully involved | 15–45 min |
| Large | Whole house, commercial unit | 45–120 min |
| Major | Multi-alarm, industrial, large brush fire | 2–12+ hours |
No neighboring department can arrive by road, so each community fights a fire with its own volunteers; outside help must come by air or sea. Expect the upper end of each range. In Akutan there are no roads, only boardwalks, and the airport is on Akun Island, about 7 miles away by helicopter link. On May 12, 2022, the Danger Point Fire burned an estimated 40 acres of grass and brush about two miles east of Sand Point; eight BLM Alaska Fire Service smokejumpers flew more than 600 miles from Fairbanks and kept it from reaching the landfill.
Apparatus & Equipment
- BLM smokejumpers sent to the Danger Point Fire near Sand Point (May 2022)
- 8
The departments in Aleutians East Borough do not publish fleet lists or member counts.
- Volunteer fire and rescue
- EMS (King Cove, Cold Bay)
- Search and rescue (King Cove)
- Air-delivered wildland support
Services & Community Programs
- King Cove: the volunteer fire department also covers EMS, fire prevention, fire investigation and search and rescue; the clinic is run by Eastern Aleutian Tribes, with on-call practitioners after hours.
- Akutan: emergency medical care is provided by volunteers and a health aide; serious cases fly to Unalaska or Anchorage.
- Cold Bay: the city runs EMS/ambulance and a clinic.
- Borough offices: Sand Point (907) 383-2699; Anchorage (907) 274-7555.
Ratings & Accreditation
ISO Public Protection Classification ratings for Aleutians East Borough's fire departments are not published.
Outdoor burning: In Alaska, a burn permit is required from April 1 to August 31 unless a stricter local or federal permit applies. Small-scale permits cover burn barrels, lawns under 1 acre and brush piles up to 10 feet across and 4 feet high; campfires under 3 feet across need no permit. Ask the Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection, (907) 269-8400, and your city office about local rules.
Neighboring Boroughs & Census Areas
- Lake and Peninsula Borough, AK (east)
- Aleutians West Census Area, AK (west)
FAQ
What is the non-emergency number for fire in Aleutians East Borough?
There is no borough-wide fire line. Sand Point VFD is listed at (907) 383-3700 and King Cove Fire & Rescue at (907) 497-2210. For any fire or medical emergency, always call 911.
Which fire departments serve Aleutians East Borough?
Five departments are listed by the state: Sand Point VFD, King Cove Fire & Rescue, Akutan VFD, the City of False Pass VFD and Nelson Lagoon Fire & Rescue. Each serves its own community.
Does Cold Bay have a fire department?
No fire department is listed for Cold Bay in the state's September 2026 directory. The City of Cold Bay lists EMS/ambulance and a clinic among its services.
How fast does the fire department respond in Aleutians East Borough?
In Sand Point and King Cove, the first volunteer unit usually arrives in about 10–14 minutes. In Akutan, False Pass and Nelson Lagoon, response is limited to the village itself, and remote areas have no structural fire protection.
Do I need a burn permit in Aleutians East Borough?
Alaska requires a burn permit from April 1 to August 31 for burn barrels, brush piles and similar burning; campfires under 3 feet across need no permit. Ask the Division of Forestry & Fire Protection at (907) 269-8400 and your city office.
Last verified:
- Alaska Division of Fire and Life Safety — Fire Department/Agency Contact Information (September 22, 2026) (departments, phones, mailing addresses)
- City of King Cove — Fire Department (volunteer status, services, Ram Creek Drive address)
- Alaska Municipal League — Aleutians East Borough (borough office, municipal powers)
- Alaska Municipal League — Sand Point (volunteer fire and rescue, police)
- Alaska Municipal League — King Cove (volunteer fire/EMS and rescue, police)
- Alaska Municipal League — Akutan (volunteer fire, VPSO)
- Alaska Municipal League — False Pass (volunteer fire, VPSO)
- Alaska Municipal League — Cold Bay (EMS/ambulance, clinic)
- Aleutians East Borough (office phones; community pages for Akutan, King Cove and Cold Bay: roads, airports, runway)
- Alaska DNR, Division of Forestry & Fire Protection — Burn Permits
- Alaska Wildland Fire Information — Smokejumpers respond to fire near Sand Point (2022)
- Wikipedia — Aleutians East Borough, Alaska (2020 population, area, neighbors; city land areas, Nelson Lagoon population, King Cove and Akutan medical services from linked community articles)