Kusilvak Census Area, Alaska (pop. 8,368), formerly Wade Hampton Census Area, covers 19,673 square miles of the lower Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta. The state fire directory lists 12 village fire departments, from Hooper Bay, the largest community, and Chevak to Emmonak, Alakanuk, St. Mary's, Mountain Village and Pilot Station. Each covers only its own village: there is no structural fire protection on the tundra and rivers between communities.
Emmonak Fire Department (state directory)
(907) 949-6558- Mountain Village Volunteer Department: (907) 591-2929
- Saint Mary's Volunteer Fire Department: (907) 438-2617
- Emmonak Fire Department, PO Box 262, Emmonak, AK 99581, USA
- dps.alaska.gov — Fire Department Directory
- Office hours: Not published
Who Provides Fire Protection in Kusilvak Census Area
- 12 village fire departments — listed by the Alaska Division of Fire and Life Safety in Alakanuk, Chevak, Emmonak, Hooper Bay, Kotlik, Marshall, Mountain Village, Nunam Iqua, Pilot Station, Russian Mission, St. Mary's and Scammon Bay. In Pilot Station the listed agency is the city's Department of Public Safety. Only three list a phone number.
- Village Public Safety Officers (VPSOs) and Alaska State Troopers — also respond to fires. At a March 2016 fire in Emmonak, the VPSO and a trooper fought the flames with a city-owned former Air Force crash rescue truck; the Chevak public safety building also housed VPSO, emergency dispatch and firefighting equipment.
- BLM Alaska Fire Service, Galena Zone — wildland (tundra) fires on the lower Yukon. In June 2022 it sent smokejumpers to protect a cabin and a Native allotment from the East Fork Fire, about 25 miles north of St. Mary's in the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge.
How 911 calls are answered in each village is not published. Pitkas Point, a small community next to St. Mary's, and unincorporated places such as Bill Moore's Slough, Chuloonawick, Hamilton and Ohogamiut have no department of their own in the state directory; ask the nearest city or tribal council which department responds.
Fire Departments in Kusilvak Census Area
| Department | Type | Station / mailing address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alakanuk VFD | Volunteer | Alakanuk, AK 99554 | Not published |
| Chevak VFD | Volunteer | Chevak, AK 99563 | Not published |
| Emmonak FD | Village (type not published) | PO Box 262, Emmonak, AK 99581 | (907) 949-6558 |
| Hooper Bay VFD | Volunteer | Hooper Bay, AK 99604 | Not published |
| Kotlik VFD | Volunteer | Kotlik, AK 99620 | Not published |
| Marshall VFD | Volunteer | Marshall, AK 99585 | Not published |
| Mountain Village Volunteer Department | Volunteer | PO Box 32085, Mountain Village, AK 99632 | (907) 591-2929 |
| Nunam Iqua Fire Department | Village (type not published) | Nunam Iqua, AK 99666 | Not published |
| Pilot Station Dept. of Public Safety | City public safety | Pilot Station, AK 99650 | Not published |
| Russian Mission VFD | Volunteer | Russian Mission, AK 99657 | Not published |
| Saint Mary's VFD | Volunteer | PO Box 209, St. Mary's, AK 99658 | (907) 438-2617 |
| Scammon Bay VFD | Volunteer | Scammon Bay, AK 99662 | Not published |
Village fire halls are not staffed around the clock. For anything urgent, call 911 or your village public safety office rather than a station number.
Estimated Response Time
Method: because Alaska census areas are huge and mostly roadless, we divide only each department's own service area by its stations, not the whole census area (about 0.5 residents per square mile of land). Hooper Bay (pop. 1,375) covers about 7.5 square miles of land inside city limits with one volunteer department, an average radius of roughly 1.5 miles; most homes sit in a smaller built-up core. Land areas for the other villages are not given in our sources, but each department serves only its own village, and there is no structural fire protection on the tundra, rivers or trails between communities.
| Radius | Villages (volunteer) |
|---|---|
| ≤ 1.5 mi | 8–12 min |
| 1.5–3 mi | 10–14 min |
| 3–6 mi | No estimate (outside village) |
| > 6 mi | No estimate (outside village) |
Typical expectation: about 8–12 minutes inside a village with an active volunteer department; no fire response outside the village.
Estimated Fire Control Time
| Fire size | Example | Indicative time |
|---|---|---|
| Small | Steam bath, snowmobile, dump fire | 5–20 min |
| Medium | Room-and-contents, small shed | 15–45 min |
| Large | Whole house, school or warehouse | 45–120 min |
| Major | Several buildings or a large tundra fire | 2–12+ hours |
Water supply is the main limit. In Emmonak in March 2016 the hydrants behind the burning Kwik'Pak Fisheries warehouse were frozen, crews hauled water four or five times, and five commercial buildings were lost (about $3 million in damage). On July 8, 2025, a fire gutted Chevak's uninsured public safety building; a runway construction crew brought it under control with a water truck, and the state declared a disaster on August 2. On August 3, 2006, a fire in Hooper Bay destroyed 35 structures, including 12 homes and the schools, leaving 70 people homeless. In September 2022 the remnants of Typhoon Merbok flooded much of Hooper Bay, where more than 250 people sheltered in the school and at least three houses moved off their foundations.
Apparatus & Equipment
Village fleets are not published. At the 2016 Emmonak fire, responders used a city-owned former Air Force fire/crash rescue truck.
- Fire suppression
- VPSO response
- Wildland (BLM AFS)
- Water hauling
Ratings & Accreditation
ISO Public Protection Classification ratings for Kusilvak Census Area's fire departments are not published.
Outdoor burning: Alaska requires burn permits from April 1 to August 31. Small-scale permits cover one burn barrel, maintained grass under 1 acre, or one brush pile up to 10 feet across and 4 feet high; campfires under 3 feet need no permit. Get one online at dnr.alaska.gov/burn (the lower Yukon falls in the BLM Galena Zone; check the Galena fire area page). Inside a city, also ask the city office or village fire department.
Neighboring Boroughs and Census Areas
- Nome Census Area, AK (north)
- Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area, AK (east)
- Bethel Census Area, AK (south)
FAQ
What is the non-emergency number for the fire department in Kusilvak Census Area?
No census-area-wide fire line is published. The state directory lists Emmonak FD at (907) 949-6558, Mountain Village Volunteer Department at (907) 591-2929 and Saint Mary's VFD at (907) 438-2617. For any fire or medical emergency, call 911.
Which fire departments serve Kusilvak Census Area?
Twelve village fire departments listed by the Alaska Division of Fire and Life Safety: Alakanuk, Chevak, Emmonak, Hooper Bay, Kotlik, Marshall, Mountain Village, Nunam Iqua, Pilot Station, Russian Mission, St. Mary's and Scammon Bay. Each covers only its own village.
What was Kusilvak Census Area called before?
It was the Wade Hampton Census Area. In July 2015 the state notified the U.S. Census Bureau of the new name, which honors the Kusilvak Mountains.
How fast does the fire department respond in Kusilvak Census Area?
About 8–12 minutes inside a village with an active volunteer department. There is no structural fire protection on the tundra, rivers or trails between communities.
Do I need a burn permit in Kusilvak Census Area?
Alaska requires burn permits from April 1 to August 31 for burn barrels, small grass burns and brush piles up to 10 feet across and 4 feet high; campfires under 3 feet need none. Apply at dnr.alaska.gov/burn.
Last verified:
- Alaska Division of Fire and Life Safety — Fire Department Contact Directory (September 22, 2026) (departments, addresses, phones)
- Alaska Division of Fire and Life Safety — Fire Department Registration and Directory
- Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection — Burn Permits
- Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection — Galena fire area (small-scale permit limits)
- Delta Discovery — Smokejumpers protecting cabin from East Fork Fire north of St. Mary's (2022)
- KNOM — Fire destroyed five Emmonak buildings (2016)
- Alaska Public Media — Disaster declared after Chevak public safety building fire (2025)
- Alaska Public Media — Powerful storm slams Western Alaska (2022)
- Wikipedia — Kusilvak Census Area, Alaska (2020 population, area, neighbors, renaming, communities)
- Wikipedia — Hooper Bay, Alaska (population, land area, 2006 fire)