Nome Census Area, Alaska (pop. 10,046) spans 28,278 square miles of the Seward Peninsula, Norton Sound and the Bering Strait islands, with no road link to the rest of the state. The all-volunteer Nome Volunteer Fire Department, with 42 members, protects about 14 square miles in and around Nome, including the airport, from 500 Bering Street. The state fire directory lists 13 more village fire departments, from Unalakleet and Shishmaref to Gambell, Savoonga and Diomede, each covering only its own village.
Nome Volunteer Fire Department (non-emergency)
(907) 443-2310- Nome Police Department (non-emergency, city dispatch): (907) 443-5262
- City of Nome, City Hall: (907) 443-6663
- Nome Volunteer Fire Department, 500 Bering Street, Nome, AK 99762, USA (mail: PO Box 82)
- nomealaska.org — Nome Volunteer Fire Department
- Office hours: Not published
Who Provides Fire Protection in Nome Census Area
- Nome Volunteer Fire Department — 42 volunteer members protecting more than 14 square miles and over 3,500 people in the City of Nome and at Nome Airport. It handles fire, search and rescue (mostly in winter, by snowmobile) and hazmat calls, plus fire investigation, prevention and education. The city pays for engines and trucks; the yearly Firemen's Carnival buys smaller gear.
- 13 village fire departments — listed by the Alaska Division of Fire and Life Safety (Golovin's is the Chinik VFD). Most list only a mailing address or nothing beyond the community.
- Village Public Safety Officers (VPSOs) — Kawerak, Inc. runs the program for 15 communities in the region. Where there is no fire department, the VPSO is often the only trained firefighter. St. Michael and Teller are on the VPSO list but have no department in the state directory.
- BLM Alaska Fire Service, Galena Zone — wildland (tundra) fires across 93 million acres of western Alaska, with smokejumpers and water-scooping aircraft.
Nome has 911 service, and the city's dispatchers work within the Nome Police Department. Ambulance service in Nome comes from the Nome Volunteer Ambulance Department, and Norton Sound Regional Hospital provides acute care and medevac. How 911 calls are answered in the villages is not published. Smaller places such as Port Clarence and Solomon have no department in the state directory.
Fire Departments in Nome Census Area
| Department | Type | Station / mailing address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nome Volunteer Fire Department | Volunteer (fire, rescue, hazmat) | 500 Bering St, Nome, AK 99762 | (907) 443-2310 |
| Brevig Mission FD | Village | PO Box 119, Brevig Mission, AK 99785 | Not confirmed |
| Chinik VFD (Golovin) | Volunteer | PO Box 62060, Golovin, AK 99762 | (907) 779-3911 |
| Diomede VFD | Volunteer | PO Box 7039, Diomede, AK 99762 | (907) 686-3071 |
| Elim VFD | Volunteer | 101 Hillside St, Elim, AK 99739 | Not confirmed |
| Gambell VFD | Volunteer | PO Box 189, Gambell, AK 99742 | (907) 985-5042 |
| Koyuk VFD | Volunteer | PO Box 53032, Koyuk, AK 99753 | Not confirmed |
| Shishmaref FD | Village | PO Box 72083, Shishmaref, AK 99772 | (907) 649-3781 |
| Unalakleet VFD | Volunteer | PO Box 28, Unalakleet, AK 99684 | (907) 624-4008 |
| White Mountain VFD | Volunteer | PO Box 51, White Mountain, AK 99784 | (907) 638-2100 |
Listed by community only (no address or phone published): Savoonga VFD, Shaktoolik VFD, Stebbins VFD and Wales Fire Department.
Village fire halls are not always staffed. For anything urgent, call 911 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. The Nome Volunteer Fire Department protects a little over 14 square miles from its hall at 500 Bering Street (the only station address published), an average radius of roughly 2.1 miles; the city averages about 289 residents per square mile of land, and most homes sit in the compact townsite, closer to the hall. Volunteers must first reach the station. Village departments serve only their own village (service areas are not published). Roads run from Nome toward Teller, Council and the Kougarok River, but no source names fire cover along them, and there is no structural fire protection on the tundra, sea ice or trails between communities.
| Radius | Nome (volunteer) | Villages (volunteer) |
|---|---|---|
| ≤ 1.5 mi | 8–12 min | 8–12 min |
| 1.5–3 mi | 10–14 min | 10–14 min |
| 3–6 mi | 12–18 min | No estimate (outside village) |
| > 6 mi | 18+ min | No estimate (outside village) |
Typical expectation: about 8–14 minutes in Nome and about 8–12 minutes inside a village with an active volunteer department; no response outside the village.
Estimated Fire Control Time
| Fire size | Example | Indicative time |
|---|---|---|
| Small | Steam bath, snowmobile, small vehicle | 5–20 min |
| Medium | Room-and-contents, car fully involved | 15–45 min |
| Large | Whole house, hotel or commercial building | 45–120 min |
| Major | Downtown block fire, large tundra fire | 2–12+ hours |
Old wooden buildings stand close together in downtown Nome, where fires in 1905 and 1934 destroyed much of the gold-rush town. On October 31, 2017, the two-story Polaris Hotel on Bering Street burned: the alarm came at 2:43 a.m., the fire was under control around 9:50 a.m., and one person died. On September 17, 2022, during a fall storm, 29 current and past members fought the Bering Sea Restaurant and Bar fire with Engines 4, 7 and 9, a backhoe and the airport's rescue and firefighting vehicle, and saved the adjoining Nugget Inn. Lightning can start many tundra fires at once: 16 new starts on the Seward Peninsula in about three hours in June 2019.
Apparatus & Equipment
Nome Volunteer Fire Department:
- Engines named at the 2022 Bering Sea fire (4, 7, 9)
- 3
A full fleet list is not published. Village fleets are not published.
- Fire suppression
- Hazmat
- Search and rescue
- Fire investigation
- Wildland (federal)
Ratings & Accreditation
City of Nome: split ISO PPC Class 5/9, from a 1984 survey. Buildings within 1,000 feet of a hydrant and within 5 road miles of a fire station get Class 5; others get Class 9. Ratings for the villages are not published.
Outdoor burning: Alaska requires burn permits from April 1 to August 31, statewide unless a stricter local or federal permit applies. Small-scale permits cover burn barrels, lawns under 1 acre and brush piles up to 10 feet across and 4 feet high; campfires under 3 feet need no permit. Get one online at dnr.alaska.gov/burn or call the Division of Forestry & Fire Protection at (907) 269-8400. Inside Nome, also ask the Nome Volunteer Fire Department; in a village, ask the city or tribal council.
Neighboring Boroughs and Census Areas
- Northwest Arctic Borough, AK (north)
- Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area, AK (east)
- Kusilvak Census Area, AK (south)
- Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia (west, across the Bering Strait)
FAQ
What is the non-emergency number for the fire department in Nome Census Area?
Nome Volunteer Fire Department: (907) 443-2310. Nome Police Department (city dispatch): (907) 443-5262. For any fire or medical emergency, always call 911.
Which fire departments serve Nome Census Area?
The Nome Volunteer Fire Department plus 13 village fire departments listed by the Alaska Division of Fire and Life Safety: Brevig Mission, Diomede, Elim, Gambell, Golovin (Chinik VFD), Koyuk, Savoonga, Shaktoolik, Shishmaref, Stebbins, Unalakleet, Wales and White Mountain.
What ISO rating does Nome have?
The City of Nome has a split ISO rating of Class 5/9 from a 1984 survey: Class 5 within 1,000 feet of a hydrant and 5 road miles of a fire station, Class 9 elsewhere.
How fast does the fire department respond in Nome Census Area?
About 8–14 minutes in Nome and about 8–12 minutes inside a village with an active volunteer department. Village departments cover only their own village; there is no structural fire protection between communities.
Do I need a burn permit in Nome Census Area?
Alaska requires burn permits from April 1 to August 31 for burn barrels, lawns under 1 acre and brush piles up to 10 feet across and 4 feet high; campfires under 3 feet need none. Apply at dnr.alaska.gov/burn. Inside Nome, also ask the Nome Volunteer Fire Department at (907) 443-2310.
Last verified:
- City of Nome — Nome Volunteer Fire Department (members, area, services, ISO)
- City of Nome — Staff Directory (fire hall address, phones, police dispatch)
- 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 Department of Public Safety — Village Public Safety Officers (Kawerak communities, VPSO fire role)
- Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection — Burn Permits
- Alaska Wildland Fire Information — Behind the scenes in Galena (2019) (Galena Zone area)
- Alaska Wildland Fire Information — Lightning causes 16 new fires on Seward Peninsula (2019)
- Alaska Wildland Fire Information — Smokejumpers respond near Stebbins (2026)
- Nome Nugget — 50 years of service at NVFD (2016) (carnival, city-funded engines)
- Nome Nugget — Bering Sea Restaurant and Bar fire (2022) (crew, engines)
- Anchorage Daily News — Polaris Hotel fire in downtown Nome (2017)
- Wikipedia — Nome Census Area, Alaska (2020 population, area, neighbors, communities)
- Wikipedia — Nome, Alaska (land area, population, roads, 911, ambulance, hospital, 1905/1934 fires)