Copper River Census Area, Alaska (pop. 2,617), created in 2019 from the former Valdez–Cordova Census Area, covers 24,692 square miles around Glennallen, Copper Center and Chitina. Nine volunteer fire departments are registered with the State Fire Marshal: GlennRich Fire Rescue (five stations around Glennallen and Copper Center) plus Kenny Lake, Gakona, Gulkana, Chistochina, Mentasta, Chitina, Strelna and Kennicott/McCarthy. The Division of Forestry fights wildland fires; much of the area has no structural fire protection.
Alaska State Troopers, Glennallen post (non-emergency)
(907) 822-3263- GlennRich Fire Rescue (non-emergency): (907) 822-4293
- Division of Forestry, Valdez/Copper River Area fire prevention: (907) 822-5534
- Burn permit hotline (Copper River area): (907) 822-8665
- GlennRich Fire Rescue, PO Box 791, Glennallen, AK 99588, USA (mailing)
- GlennRich Fire Rescue on Facebook
- Station hours: Not published (volunteer stations are not always staffed)
Who Provides Fire Protection in Copper River Census Area
- GlennRich Fire Rescue — the largest department, a volunteer organization with five stations, 16 volunteer firefighters and 2 support staff (registry data). It serves Glennallen, Copper Center, Silver Springs, Tazlina and Tonsina. In 2024 it reported 50 calls to NFIRS, 28 of them medical.
- Eight more volunteer departments — Kenny Lake on the Edgerton Highway; Gakona, Gulkana, Chistochina and Mentasta on the Tok Cut-Off; Chitina and Strelna; and Kennicott/McCarthy inside Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Kenny Lake, Gakona, Chitina and Kennicott/McCarthy each report one station (24, 20, 21 and 8 volunteers); the others publish no station or roster data.
The area is part of Alaska's Unorganized Borough, so there is no borough fire service. Paramedic-level ambulance care in Glennallen comes from Copper River EMS (Copper River Emergency Medical Services Council); there is no local hospital. The Alaska State Troopers have a post in Glennallen. How 911 calls are routed to each volunteer department: Not published.
Not counted: Sapa VFD (Mile 13 Edgerton Highway, 7 volunteers in registry data) is missing from both 2026 state directories, and Nelchina VFD was listed in February 2026 but not in September. Louise, Susitna, Tyone VFD and Top Of The World VFD use Glennallen mailing addresses, but Lake Louise lies in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough and no source places Top of the World here. Slana, Paxson and Mendeltna have no registered fire department.
Fire Departments in Copper River Census Area
| Department | Type | Main station | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| GlennRich Fire Rescue | Volunteer (5 stations) | Glennallen, AK 99588 (PO Box 791) | (907) 822-4293 |
| Kenny Lake VFD | Volunteer | Mile 5 Edgerton Hwy, Copper Center, AK 99573 | (907) 822-4034 |
| Gakona VFD | Volunteer | Mile 2.4 Tok Hwy, Gakona, AK 99586 | (907) 822-3030 |
| Gulkana VFD | Volunteer | Gulkana (mail: PO Box 254, Gakona, AK 99586) | (907) 822-3746 |
| Chistochina VFD | Volunteer | Chistochina, AK 99573 (PO Box H) | (907) 822-3131 |
| Mentasta VFD | Volunteer | Mentasta Lake, AK 99780 (PO Box 6019) | (907) 291-2319 |
| Chitina VFD | Volunteer | Block 21, Lots 17 & 18, Chitina, AK 99566 | (907) 823-4040 |
| Strelna VFD | Volunteer | Strelna (mail: PO Box 70, Chitina, AK 99566) | Not published |
| Kennicott/McCarthy VFD | Volunteer | Mile 0.5 Kennicott Rd, McCarthy, AK 99588 | (907) 554-2102 |
Volunteer stations are not always staffed. For any fire or medical emergency, call 911 rather than a station number. Phones for Gakona, Gulkana, Chistochina, Mentasta and Chitina come from the 2026 state directory (replacing older Gakona 822-3935 and Chitina 823-2250 listings). For GlennRich, Kenny Lake and Kennicott/McCarthy we keep older listings, as their directory numbers may be personal lines.
Estimated Response Time
Because the census area is huge and mostly roadless, we estimate the average distance to the nearest station only within each department's own service area (r ≈ √(area ÷ (stations × π)), using Census land areas). GlennRich's five stations share the Glennallen, Copper Center, Silver Springs, Tazlina and Tonsina areas (about 297 square miles of land), roughly 4.4 miles each. Kenny Lake's one station covers the Kenny Lake area (194.5 square miles), about 7.9 miles (5.6 if Sapa's station is still active); Gakona (60.6 square miles) about 4.4 miles; Chitina (84.7 square miles) about 5.2 miles; McCarthy (149.5 square miles) about 6.9 miles. Gulkana, Chistochina, Mentasta and Strelna publish no station count, so no radius is given; Chistochina (368 square miles) and Mentasta Lake (301 square miles) are large, so homes away from the village centers are well beyond 6 miles. All are volunteer departments, so crews must first reach the station. At 0.1 residents per square mile, the whole area is rural.
| 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 12–18 minutes in the GlennRich, Gakona and Chitina service areas, and 18 minutes or more around Kenny Lake, McCarthy and the large northern communities. Reported 2024 NFIRS averages fit this: GlennRich 17 min 32 s, Kenny Lake 15 min 51 s, Gakona 15 min 35 s. Outside these service areas, including the backcountry and roadless parts of the census area, there is no structural fire protection and no estimate applies.
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 woodland fire | 2–12+ hours |
Expect the upper end of each range: volunteer turnouts are small (in 2024 GlennRich averaged 3.5 responders per call, Gakona 1.8), and neighbors help each other. On May 16, 2017, an unattended burn barrel at Mile 102 of the Old Richardson Highway near Copper Center started a grass fire that destroyed a home; Forestry crews arrived about 25 minutes after the report, followed by GlennRich, Kenny Lake and Gakona. In April 2021, a 2-acre fire on Moose Creek Road in Glennallen destroyed two uninhabited structures. The Copper Center roadhouse burned on May 20, 2012.
Apparatus & Equipment
- Division of Forestry engines at the 2017 Copper Center fire
- 3
None of the nine volunteer departments publishes a fleet list. At the 2017 fire, the Division of Forestry also sent 10 personnel.
- Structural fire (volunteer)
- Wildland
- EMS / basic life support
- Mutual aid
Ratings & Accreditation
ISO Public Protection Classification ratings for Copper River Census Area's fire departments are not published.
Outdoor burning: Alaska Division of Forestry burn permits are required from April 1 to August 31. A small-scale permit (burn barrels, lawns under 1 acre, brush piles up to 10 feet across and 4 feet high) is available online from the Valdez/Copper River Area; for large-scale burns call the burn permit hotline at (907) 822-8665. Campfires under 3 feet across need no permit. Burn suspensions can ban debris burning and burn barrels in dry weather: check before you burn and never leave a fire. Report wildfires to 911 or 1-800-237-3633.
Neighboring Boroughs & Census Areas
- Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, AK (north)
- Yukon, Canada (east)
- City and Borough of Yakutat, AK (south)
- Chugach Census Area, AK (south)
- Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK (west)
FAQ
What is the non-emergency number for fire in Copper River Census Area?
GlennRich Fire Rescue is listed at (907) 822-4293, and the Alaska State Troopers' Glennallen post answers (907) 822-3263. For any fire or medical emergency, always call 911.
Which fire departments serve Copper River Census Area?
Nine volunteer departments are registered with the State Fire Marshal: GlennRich Fire Rescue, Kenny Lake, Gakona, Gulkana, Chistochina, Mentasta, Chitina, Strelna and Kennicott/McCarthy. Communities such as Slana, Paxson and Mendeltna have no registered fire department.
Is there a fire department in Glennallen?
Yes. GlennRich Fire Rescue, a volunteer organization with five stations, serves Glennallen, Copper Center, Silver Springs, Tazlina and Tonsina. Copper River EMS provides paramedic-level ambulance care.
How fast does the fire department respond in Copper River Census Area?
About 12–18 minutes in the GlennRich, Gakona and Chitina service areas, and 18 minutes or more around Kenny Lake, McCarthy and the large northern communities. Remote and roadless areas have no structural fire protection.
Do I need a burn permit in Copper River Census Area?
Yes, from April 1 to August 31. Get a small-scale permit online from the Division of Forestry's Valdez/Copper River Area, or call (907) 822-8665 for large-scale burns. Campfires under 3 feet across need no permit.
Last verified:
- Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection — Valdez/Copper River Area burn permits (phones, permit season)
- Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection — Burn Permits (small/large-scale rules, campfires)
- Alaska Department of Public Safety — Contact (Troopers Glennallen post)
- Alaska Division of Fire and Life Safety — Fire Department Registration and Directory: September 22, 2026 and February 19, 2026 editions (registered departments, mailing addresses, phones)
- GlennRich Fire Rescue — Facebook (service area)
- Alaska Wildland Fire Information — Copper Center home fire (2017) (responders, report numbers)
- Alaska Wildland Fire Information — GlennRich Fire Rescue (Moose Creek Fire, 2021)
- Digital Firehouse — Copper River fire departments (registry data: stations, personnel, addresses, phones; 2024 NFIRS calls and response times)
- Anchorage Daily News — Brush fire near downtown Glennallen (2021)
- Candid GuideStar — Copper River Emergency Medical Services Council
- Wikipedia — Copper River Census Area, Alaska (2020 population, area, creation, neighbors)
- Wikipedia — Glennallen, Alaska (land area, GlennRich, Copper River EMS, Troopers)
- Wikipedia — CDP land areas: Copper Center, Silver Springs, Tazlina, Tonsina, Kenny Lake, Gakona, Chitina, McCarthy, Chistochina, Mentasta Lake, Gulkana, Lake Louise (Copper Center roadhouse fire, 2012; Lake Louise in Mat-Su)