Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska (pop. 107,081) is protected by borough fire service areas run by the Department of Emergency Services: Central Mat-Su (Wasilla, Knik), West Lakes (Big Lake), Willow Caswell, Butte, Sutton and Talkeetna, plus the city-run Palmer Fire & Rescue (with the Greater Palmer service area) and Houston Fire Department. Volunteer departments serve Chickaloon, Trapper Creek and Lake Louise. Most of the borough's 24,608 square miles lies outside any fire service area.
Mat-Su Borough Department of Emergency Services (administration)
(907) 861-8000- Central Mat-Su Fire Department / Fire & Life Safety (fire code): (907) 861-8383
- Palmer Fire & Rescue / Greater Palmer FSA: (907) 745-3709
- Division of Forestry, Mat-Su Area (burn permits): (907) 761-6305
- DES Station 6-5, 680 N Seward Meridian Pkwy, Wasilla, AK, USA
- des.matsugov.us/pages/fire
Who Provides Fire Protection in Matanuska-Susitna Borough
- Borough fire service areas (FSAs) — the Department of Emergency Services manages seven community-based FSAs, staffed by paid on-call and full-time firefighters: Central Mat-Su (#130, 134 sq mi, eight stations), West Lakes (#136, 94 sq mi), Willow (#35, 101 sq mi) and Caswell (#135, 58 sq mi) run together as Willow Caswell, Butte (#2, 43 sq mi), Sutton (#4, 23 sq mi) and Talkeetna (#24, 41 sq mi).
- City-managed departments — Palmer Fire & Rescue covers the City of Palmer and the Greater Palmer Consolidated FSA (#132, 72 sq mi); Houston Fire Department covers the City of Houston. Both give mutual aid and standby coverage to the borough FSAs.
- Volunteer departments — Chickaloon Community VFD, Trapper Creek VFD (the Trapper Creek FSA, #18, is listed as inactive) and Louise, Susitna, Tyone VFD; member numbers are not published.
Wildland fire is the job of the Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management; borough crews train for wildland-interface fires and water rescue and work with the borough HazMat, EMS and rescue teams. Cellphone 911 calls are answered first in Palmer, and the City of Palmer has dispatched fire, EMS and rescue under a borough contract; MatCom in Wasilla dispatches troopers and Wasilla police.
Fire Departments in Matanuska-Susitna Borough
| Department | Type | Main station | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Mat-Su Fire Department | Borough FSA (8) | 101 W Swanson Ave, Wasilla | (907) 861-8383 |
| Palmer Fire & Rescue (incl. Greater Palmer FSA) | City + FSA (5) | 717 S Cobb St, Palmer | (907) 745-3709 |
| West Lakes Fire Department | Borough FSA (5) | 10073 W Parks Hwy, Wasilla | (907) 861-8081 |
| Willow Caswell Fire Department | Borough FSAs (6) | 8878 Mike Ardaw Rd (Sta. 12-6) | (907) 861-8342 |
| Butte Fire Department | Borough FSA (2) | 3355 S Old Glenn Hwy, Palmer | (907) 861-8125 |
| Talkeetna Fire Department | Borough FSA (2) | 22690 S Talkeetna Spur | (907) 861-3663 |
| Sutton Fire Department | Borough FSA (1) | 15625 N Glenn Hwy | (907) 861-8101 |
| Houston Fire Department | City (2) | 13965 W Armstrong Rd, Houston | (907) 892-9130 |
| Chickaloon Community VFD | Volunteer | PO Box 1163, Chickaloon, AK 99674 (mail) | Not published |
| Trapper Creek VFD | Volunteer | PO Box 13386, Trapper Creek, AK 99683 (mail) | Not published |
| Louise, Susitna, Tyone VFD | Volunteer | Lake Louise area (mail: Glennallen, AK 99588) | Not published |
On-call and volunteer stations are not always staffed. In an emergency, call 911.
Other Stations
| Station | Address |
|---|---|
| Central Mat-Su 5-1, 5-2 | 1911 S Terrace Ct, Palmer; 7731 E Bogard Rd, Palmer |
| Central Mat-Su 6-2 (training) to 6-6 | 4568 S Knik-Goose Bay Rd; 11021 W Horizon Dr; 18297 W Point MacKenzie Rd; 680 N Seward Meridian Pkwy; 2330 W Fairview Loop (all Wasilla) |
| West Lakes 7-1, 7-2, 8-1, 8-2 | 1685 and 5182 N Pittman Rd, Wasilla; 3047 S Big Lake Rd; 19151 Four Dog Ct (7-9 at 1250 S Spring Dr is ambulance only) |
| Willow Caswell 12-1, 12-2, 12-4, 12-5, 13-1 | 32054 W Parks Hwy; 14379 W Willow Fishhook Rd; 15210 N Four Mile Rd; 26470 W Shirley Lake Dr; 19631 E Deep Woods Way |
| Palmer 3-2 to 3-5 | 5955 N Glenn Hwy; 15855 E Clark Rd; Palmer Airport; 8200 E Turner Rd |
| Butte 2-2 / Talkeetna 11-2 / Houston 9-2 | 8271 S Ben Hur Dr; 42488 S Parks Hwy; 12176 W Birch Rd |
Source: Mat-Su Borough Department of Emergency Services.
Estimated Response Time
Because most of the borough is roadless, we apply r ≈ √(area ÷ (stations × π)) only to each department's own service area: Central Mat-Su (134 sq mi, 8 stations) about 2.3 miles; Greater Palmer plus the city (77 sq mi, 5) about 2.2 miles, inside Palmer (5.1 sq mi) about 1.3 miles; West Lakes (94 sq mi, 5) 2.4 miles; Houston (23.9 sq mi, 2) 1.9 miles; Butte 2.6, Talkeetna 2.6, Sutton 2.7 and Willow Caswell (159 sq mi, 6) 2.9 miles. Service-area figures for Chickaloon, Trapper Creek and Lake Louise are not published. The FSAs and cities cover under 3% of the borough; elsewhere, including off-road places such as Skwentna, there is no structural fire protection.
| Radius | Central Mat-Su (combination) | Other FSAs, Palmer, Houston (on-call) |
|---|---|---|
| ≤ 1.5 mi | 5–8 min | 8–12 min |
| 1.5–3 mi | 7–10 min | 10–14 min |
| 3–6 mi | 9–13 min | 12–18 min |
| > 6 mi | 13+ min | 18+ min |
Typical expectation: about 7–10 minutes in the Wasilla/Knik core, 8–12 minutes inside Palmer, 10–14 minutes in the other service areas and Houston, and no structural response outside them. Staffing models for Palmer and Houston are not published, so we use the on-call column.
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 |
Outside the Wasilla and Palmer cores hydrants are scarce, so water comes by tanker and the service areas help each other under a mutual aid agreement; expect the upper end of each range. Forest fires are fought with the state Division of Forestry.
Apparatus & Equipment
Fleet lists are not published.
- Fire suppression
- EMS / ambulance (borough)
- Hazmat (borough team)
- Water rescue
- Wildland interface
Ratings & Accreditation
ISO PPC: Greater Palmer Consolidated FSA Class 6/10 from October 1, 2012 (previously 8b/10). Other ratings are not published here; the borough offers a PPC rating map app for individual properties.
Outdoor burning: The Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection requires a burn permit for open burning, including burn barrels and brush piles, from April 1 to August 31; campfires under 3 ft need none. Get permits online or from the Mat-Su Area office, 101 Airport Road, Palmer, (907) 761-6305. Before burning, check suspensions on the permit hotline, (907) 761-6312.
Neighboring Boroughs
- Denali Borough, AK (north)
- Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, AK (northeast)
- Copper River Census Area, AK (east)
- Chugach Census Area, AK (south)
- Municipality of Anchorage, AK (south)
- Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK (south)
- Bethel Census Area, AK (west)
- Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, AK (west)
FAQ
What is the non-emergency number for fire in Matanuska-Susitna Borough?
Mat-Su Borough Department of Emergency Services: (907) 861-8000. Central Mat-Su Fire Department: (907) 861-8383. Palmer Fire & Rescue: (907) 745-3709. For any fire or medical emergency, always call 911.
Who fights fires in Wasilla?
Wasilla has no city fire department. The borough's Central Mat-Su Fire Department covers Wasilla, Knik and Point MacKenzie from eight stations, and West Lakes Fire Department covers the Big Lake and Pittman Road areas.
Is my home in Matanuska-Susitna Borough covered by a fire department?
Only if it lies in a fire service area or in Palmer or Houston. These cover under 3% of the borough; elsewhere there is no structural fire protection. Check the borough's fire service area map.
How fast does the fire department respond in Matanuska-Susitna Borough?
About 7–10 minutes in the Wasilla/Knik core, 8–12 minutes inside Palmer and 10–14 minutes in the other service areas and Houston. Outside the service areas there is no structural response.
Do I need a burn permit in Matanuska-Susitna Borough?
Yes, from April 1 to August 31 a state Division of Forestry & Fire Protection permit is required for open burning, including burn barrels and brush piles. Call the Mat-Su Area office at (907) 761-6305.
Last verified:
- Mat-Su Borough Emergency Services — Fire (FSAs, stations, phones)
- Mat-Su Borough — Department of Emergency Services (administration)
- Mat-Su Borough — Fire Service Area maps
- Mat-Su Borough GIS — Fire Service Areas map (2024) (FSA areas)
- Alaska Division of Fire and Life Safety — Fire Department Directory (Feb. 2026 edition)
- Alaska Fire Department/Agency Contact Information (Sept. 22, 2026)
- Mat-Su Borough — Greater Palmer fire rating improves (2012) (ISO)
- City of Palmer — Palmer and Greater Palmer Fire Stations
- Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection — Mat-Su Area burn permits
- Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection — Burn Permits
- City of Wasilla — MatCom Public Safety Dispatch
- Alaska Public Media — Borough eyes emergency dispatch update (2016)
- KTNA — Caswell fire service area approved
- Wikipedia — Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska (population, area, neighbors)
- Wikipedia — Palmer, Alaska and Houston, Alaska (city land areas)