Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska (pop. 13,101), is protected by a combination system: the career Kodiak Fire Department covers the City of Kodiak from a new station opened in 2026, the borough's Bayside Fire Department and the all-volunteer Womens Bay Fire Department cover the road system outside the city, and six village departments serve Akhiok, Karluk, Larsen Bay, Old Harbor, Ouzinkie and Port Lions, which have no road link. The Kodiak Police Department runs the island's only 911 dispatch center.
Kodiak Fire Department (non-emergency)
(907) 486-8040- Bayside Fire Department: (907) 486-4536
- Womens Bay Volunteer Fire Department: (907) 487-4312
- Kodiak Police Department (island dispatch center): (907) 486-8000
- Alaska State Troopers, Kodiak post: (907) 486-4121
- Kodiak Fire Department, 219 Lower Mill Bay Road, Kodiak, AK 99615, USA
- city.kodiak.ak.us (City of Kodiak)
- Office hours: Not published
Who Provides Fire Protection in Kodiak Island Borough
- Kodiak Fire Department — the City of Kodiak's career department, founded in 1940. On February 2, 2026, it began answering calls from a new $24.4 million, five-bay station on Mill Bay Road. Its standard is five responders per 48-hour shift (one officer, four firefighters); early in 2026 it had more than 10 firefighters plus four recruits, and all firefighters are EMTs. The city runs the ambulance service. In January 2026 the department answered 90 calls, mostly medical.
- Bayside Fire Department — the borough's fire protection area east and north of the city, out to the end of the road at White Sands Beach and Termination Point. It depends on volunteers paid stipends; in 2019 its chief was the only paid employee. It answered 172 calls in 2018, up 13 percent, most of them medical.
- Womens Bay Volunteer Fire Department — all-volunteer, about six or seven members in 2020, serving Womens Bay (Bells Flats) south of the Coast Guard base.
- Six village departments — Akhiok, Karluk, Larsen Bay, Old Harbor, Ouzinkie and Port Lions (listed below), each serving its own community.
The Kodiak Police Department operates the only dispatch center (PSAP) on the island; it handles more than 13,000 emergency calls a year, including 911 and calls for the Bayside and Womens Bay departments, and the city department helps them under a mutual aid agreement. Coast Guard Base Kodiak runs its own fire department (not counted here) for structural and aircraft fires on the base and at the state airport; its EMT-certified firefighters cover the road from Dead Man's Curve to the fairgrounds and are usually first on mutual aid calls in Womens Bay. In 2020 it had 25 of 32 positions filled. Chiniak, 45 road miles from the city, has no registered fire department. An older state profile lists Village Public Safety Officers in the six villages.
Fire Departments in Kodiak Island Borough
| Department | Type | Main station | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kodiak Fire Department | Career (Fire/EMS, ambulance) | Mill Bay Road, Kodiak, AK 99615 (mail: 219 Lower Mill Bay Rd) | (907) 486-8040 |
| Bayside Fire Department | Volunteer (paid chief, stipend volunteers) | 4606 Rezanof Dr E, Kodiak, AK 99615 | (907) 486-4536 |
| Womens Bay VFD | Volunteer | 538 Sargent Creek Rd, Kodiak, AK 99615 | (907) 487-4312 |
| Akhiok VFD | Volunteer (village) | PO Box 5058, Akhiok, AK 99615 (mail) | (907) 836-2232 |
| Native Village of Karluk Dept. of Fire & Emergency Services | Tribal (village) | PO Box 22, Karluk, AK 99608 (mail) | (907) 241-2218 |
| Larsen Bay VFD | Volunteer (village) | Larsen Bay, AK 99624 | Not published |
| Old Harbor VFD | Volunteer (village) | PO Box 73, Old Harbor, AK 99643 (mail) | (907) 286-2275 |
| Ouzinkie VFD | Volunteer (city) | PO Box 109, Ouzinkie, AK 99644 (mail) | (907) 680-2209 |
| Port Lions City FD | City (village) | PO Box 110, Port Lions, AK 99550 (mail) | (907) 454-2330 |
Volunteer stations are not always staffed, and several village numbers are city or tribal offices. For any fire or medical emergency, call 911.
Estimated Response Time
Because most of the borough has no roads, the estimate is worked out for each department's own area rather than the whole borough: average distance to the station r ≈ √(area ÷ (stations × π)). The City of Kodiak (3.92 square miles of land, about 1,424 residents per square mile, urban) has one career station, an average radius of roughly 1.1 miles. Mill Bay (3.44 square miles), the most built-up part of the Bayside district, gives about 1.0 mile for one station; the district's full area is not published and it runs on to the end of the road. Womens Bay (43.92 square miles) has one volunteer station, about 3.7 miles. Akhiok, Karluk, Larsen Bay, Old Harbor, Ouzinkie and Port Lions have no road link: their volunteers serve the village itself, there is no estimate for outside areas, and remote parts of the borough, such as Afognak Island and Uganik Bay, have no structural fire protection.
| Radius | Kodiak (career) | Volunteer departments |
|---|---|---|
| ≤ 1.5 mi | 4–6 min | 8–12 min |
| 1.5–3 mi | 6–8 min | 10–14 min |
| 3–6 mi | 8–11 min | 12–18 min |
| > 6 mi | 11+ min | 18+ min |
Typical expectation: about 4–6 minutes in the City of Kodiak, 8–12 minutes in Mill Bay and other close-in Bayside areas, and 12–18 minutes for most of Womens Bay; outlying Bayside addresses toward the end of the road take longer.
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, vessel or large brush fire | 2–12+ hours |
Homes in the City of Kodiak are on piped water. In the Bayside district some areas have hydrants on city water while others rely on wells, so water must be hauled to fires, and Womens Bay homes use individual wells. Expect the upper end of each range outside the city and in the villages, where help from Kodiak comes only by air or boat. The 1964 earthquake and tsunami leveled downtown Kodiak and destroyed Old Harbor and the old village of Afognak, whose residents founded Port Lions.
Apparatus & Equipment
- New Kodiak FD ambulance (replacing Medic-3, a 2013 Ford F350)
- 1
- Apparatus bays, new Kodiak fire station
- 5
Full fleet lists for the city, Bayside, Womens Bay and the villages are not published.
- Fire suppression
- EMS / ambulance (Kodiak)
- Tanker water supply
- Mutual aid
Ratings & Accreditation
ISO Public Protection Classification ratings for Kodiak Island Borough's fire departments are not published.
Outdoor burning: The Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection requires burn permits from April 1 to August 31, statewide unless a stricter local or federal permit applies. A small-scale permit covers burn barrels, maintained lawns under 1 acre and brush piles up to 10 feet across and 4 feet high; campfires under 3 feet are exempt. Kodiak is in the Kenai-Kodiak Area, whose page currently shows burn permits as not required for Kodiak; check its burn permit hotline, (907) 260-4269, or (907) 269-8400 before burning, and ask the Kodiak Fire Department about rules inside the city.
Neighboring Boroughs and Census Areas
- Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK (north)
- Lake and Peninsula Borough, AK (northwest, across Shelikof Strait)
FAQ
What is the non-emergency number for fire in Kodiak Island Borough?
Kodiak Fire Department: (907) 486-8040. Bayside Fire Department: (907) 486-4536. Womens Bay Volunteer Fire Department: (907) 487-4312. For any fire or medical emergency, always call 911.
Who fights fires outside the City of Kodiak?
The borough's Bayside Fire Department covers the road system east and north of the city out to White Sands Beach and Termination Point, and the Womens Bay Volunteer Fire Department covers Womens Bay. The Coast Guard Base Kodiak fire department often helps through mutual aid.
Do the Kodiak Island villages have fire departments?
Yes. Akhiok, Karluk, Larsen Bay, Old Harbor, Ouzinkie and Port Lions each have a local fire department. None is linked to Kodiak by road, so outside help comes by air or boat, and remote areas have no structural fire protection.
How fast does the fire department respond in Kodiak Island Borough?
About 4–6 minutes for the first unit in the City of Kodiak, 8–12 minutes in close-in Bayside areas such as Mill Bay and 12–18 minutes for most of Womens Bay. In the villages, response is limited to the village itself.
Do I need a burn permit in Kodiak Island Borough?
Alaska requires burn permits from April 1 to August 31 unless a stricter local rule applies, but the Kenai-Kodiak Area page currently shows permits as not required for Kodiak. Check the burn permit hotline at (907) 260-4269 before burning, and ask the Kodiak Fire Department about city rules.
Last verified:
- Alaska Division of Fire and Life Safety — Fire Department/Agency Contact Information (September 22, 2026) (departments, addresses, phones; unchanged from February 2026 list)
- Alaska Division of Fire and Life Safety — Fire Department Registration and Directory
- Alaska DEC — Kodiak Subarea Community Profiles (village fire, VPSO, police and trooper phones, road access, water systems, Chiniak, 1964 tsunami)
- Alaska Municipal League — City of Kodiak profile (2026) (Fire/EMS and ambulance services, population)
- Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection — Burn Permits (season, permit types, phone)
- Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection — Kenai-Kodiak Area (Kodiak permit status, hotline)
- KMXT — City firefighters make new Kodiak fire station home (2026) (new station, staffing, calls, ambulance)
- KMXT — City and borough emergency services cost sharing (2024) (dispatch center, call volume, mutual aid)
- KMXT — Coast Guard firefighting in Kodiak (2020) (Base Kodiak fire department, Womens Bay volunteers)
- KMXT — Bayside Fire Dept. looking for new volunteers (2019) (service area, calls, water supply)
- Kodiak Chamber of Commerce — Local Government (fire protection providers)
- Wikipedia — Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska (2020 population, area, neighbors)
- Wikipedia — Kodiak, Alaska (population, land area)
- Wikipedia — Mill Bay, Alaska (land area)
- Wikipedia — Womens Bay, Alaska (land area, Bells Flats)