Dillingham Census Area, Alaska (pop. 4,857) covers 18,569 square miles of mostly roadless land in northern Bristol Bay. Fire protection is volunteer and village-based: the Dillingham Volunteer Fire Department & Rescue Squad, with 35 members, 3 ambulances and 4 pumpers, protects the city of Dillingham, while volunteer departments serve Aleknagik, New Stuyahok and Togiak. Dillingham's 24-hour dispatch center answers 911 for northern Bristol Bay and 38 surrounding communities. Outside the villages there is no structural fire protection.
Dillingham Dispatch Center / Police (24/7, non-emergency)
(907) 842-5354- Dillingham Volunteer Fire Department & Rescue Squad (office): (907) 842-2288
- City of Dillingham (City Hall): (907) 842-5211
- Dillingham VFD & Rescue Squad, 514 Main St (PO Box 1049), Dillingham, AK 99576, USA
- dillinghamak.us/fire
- Dispatch Center (Public Safety, 404 D Street): 24 hours, 7 days a week
Who Provides Fire Protection in Dillingham Census Area
- Dillingham Volunteer Fire Department & Rescue Squad — the city's volunteer fire, rescue and ambulance service, with 35 permanent and probationary members (23 fire and rescue, 6 firefighters only, 6 rescuers only) and two full-time employees. All available members respond to fires; on-call teams cover rescue and EMS calls from 6 pm to 6 am, one week at a time.
- Aleknagik Volunteer Fire Department (Aleknagik Fire & EMS) — 2 stations, 6 volunteer and 4 paid-per-call firefighters, about 25 road miles from Dillingham.
- New Stuyahok Volunteer Fire Department/EMS — 1 station, 20 volunteer firefighters.
- Togiak Volunteer Fire Department — named in a 2018 state fire report as the crew that knocked down a grass fire spreading toward apartment buildings; details are not published.
The City of Dillingham Dispatch Center runs 24 hours a day as the public safety answering point for northern Bristol Bay and 38 surrounding communities, and handles communications for the Dillingham fire department and EMS. We found no published fire department for Manokotak, Ekwok, Koliganek, Clark's Point, Twin Hills or Portage Creek. In Togiak, local public safety was provided in 2017 by a city police officer, a tribal police officer and a Village Public Safety Officer (VPSO), with Alaska State Troopers based in Dillingham. Call 911 in any emergency.
Fire Departments in Dillingham Census Area
| Department | Type | Main station | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dillingham VFD & Rescue Squad | Volunteer, fire + ambulance (3 stations) | 514 Main St, Dillingham, AK 99576 | (907) 842-2288 |
| Aleknagik VFD (Fire & EMS) | Volunteer (2 stations) | 33 Main St, Aleknagik, AK 99555 | (907) 842-1731 |
| New Stuyahok VFD/EMS | Volunteer (1 station) | PO Box 161, New Stuyahok, AK 99636 | (907) 693-3185 |
| Togiak VFD | Volunteer | Togiak, AK (not published) | Not published |
Volunteer stations are not always staffed. For anything urgent, call 911 rather than a station number.
Estimated Response Time
Because the census area is huge and mostly roadless, we estimate response only inside each department's own service area, using the average station radius r ≈ √(area ÷ (stations × π)). In Dillingham, three volunteer stations share about 33.3 square miles of land inside city limits, an average radius of roughly 1.9 miles; in Aleknagik, two stations share about 26.6 square miles, roughly 2.1 miles. Volunteers must first reach the station. Togiak, New Stuyahok and the other villages have no road link to Dillingham, so fire response is limited to the village itself (no estimate for outside areas), and remote areas have no structural fire protection.
| 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 for most addresses in Dillingham and Aleknagik; inside other villages, it depends on local volunteers being available.
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 tundra fire | 2–12+ hours |
Dillingham has piped water and its department runs two tank trucks; water supply in the villages is not published, and there is no outside help by road, so expect the upper end of each range there. Tundra and wildland fires are handled by the Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection's Southwest Area. In June 2022 the Iowithla River fire grew to about 19,500 acres just 9.3 miles from Dillingham; Forestry planes from King Salmon dropped water and a local burn ban was in effect.
Apparatus & Equipment
Dillingham Volunteer Fire Department & Rescue Squad fleet:
- Pumpers
- 4
- Ambulances
- 3
- Tank trucks
- 2
- Utility truck
- 1
A new downtown fire hall for larger trucks is on the city's capital improvement list. Village fleets are not published.
- Fire suppression
- Ambulance (EMS)
- Rescue
- Tanker water supply
Ratings & Accreditation
The City of Dillingham posts ISO Public Protection Classification summary reports dated March 2012 and November 2017; the current class is not stated on its fire page. Ratings for the villages are not published.
Outdoor burning: In the Dillingham area, get a City of Dillingham small-scale burn permit from Dillingham Public Safety, 404 D Street (valid through December 31), and call the burn permit hotline at (907) 842-5354 before every burn. It allows one pile up to 10 feet across and 4 feet high, one burn barrel, or up to 1 acre of lawn; larger burns need a Large Scale Burn Permit from the Alaska Division of Forestry. Campfires up to 3 feet across and 2 feet high need no permit. On Forestry-protected land in Southwest Alaska, permits are required from April 1 to August 31.
Neighboring Boroughs & Census Areas
- Bethel Census Area, AK (west and north)
- Lake and Peninsula Borough, AK (east)
- Bristol Bay Borough, AK (southeast)
FAQ
What is the non-emergency number for fire in Dillingham Census Area?
Dillingham's 24-hour Dispatch Center: (907) 842-5354. Dillingham Volunteer Fire Department & Rescue Squad office: (907) 842-2288. For any fire or medical emergency, always call 911.
Who fights fires outside the city of Dillingham?
Volunteer departments in Aleknagik, New Stuyahok and Togiak protect their own villages. We found no published fire department for Manokotak, Ekwok, Koliganek, Clark's Point, Twin Hills or Portage Creek, and land outside the villages has no structural fire protection. Wildland fires are handled by the Alaska Division of Forestry.
Is the Dillingham fire department volunteer?
Yes. The Dillingham Volunteer Fire Department & Rescue Squad has 35 members plus two full-time employees and runs 3 ambulances, 4 pumpers, 2 tank trucks and a utility truck.
How fast does the fire department respond in Dillingham Census Area?
About 10–14 minutes for the first unit in Dillingham and Aleknagik. In roadless villages, response is limited to the village itself and depends on local volunteers.
Do I need a burn permit in Dillingham?
Yes. Get a City of Dillingham burn permit from Dillingham Public Safety, 404 D Street, and call (907) 842-5354 before every burn. Piles larger than 10 feet across and 4 feet high need a Large Scale Burn Permit from the Alaska Division of Forestry.
Last verified:
- City of Dillingham — Fire (members, staff, fleet, phones, fire hall plan)
- City of Dillingham — Public Safety (Dispatch Center, 24/7, 38 communities)
- City of Dillingham — Burn Permit
- City of Dillingham — Small Scale Burn Permit (PDF) (limits, hotline)
- City of Dillingham — Public Protection Classification Report
- USFA National Fire Department Registry (Dillingham, Aleknagik, New Stuyahok: stations, firefighters, phones)
- Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection — 2026 VFA Grant Awards (Aleknagik Fire & EMS)
- Alaska Interagency Coordination Center — Situation Report, May 22, 2018 (Togiak VFD)
- Alaska Division of Forestry — State burn permits required starting April 1
- Alaska Municipal League — City of Dillingham profile (PDF) (piped water, volunteer fire/EMS/rescue)
- KDLG — Iowithla River fire near Dillingham (2022)
- KDLG — Troopers to open new post in Togiak (2017)
- Wikipedia — Dillingham Census Area, Alaska (2020 population, area, neighbors)
- Wikipedia — Dillingham, Alaska (city land area, road access)
- Wikipedia — Aleknagik, Alaska (land area, road to Dillingham)