Girdwood Fire & Rescue

Our History

The Girdwood Fire Department has seen many changes throughout its time serving the residents of Girdwood. Originally established in 1959 the fire department provided fire protection services with a military surplus jeep and a WWII era 250 gallon per minute (gpm) "duce and a half". Girdwood EMS was established in 1974 after two Alyeska resort employees were attacked and seriously wounded, it took over an hour and half for an ambulance and medics to arrive from Anchorage to treat the victims. Local Girdwood residents, including Chief Chadwick, organized and petitioned the Municipality of Anchorage to provide an ambulance to allow the Fire Department to provide Emergency Medical Services in Girdwood. Fire Chief John Trautner conducted Girdwood's first EMT class that fall. In 1978, the new fire station was constructed and two new Segrave/FWD 750 gpm Fire Engines were purchased. In 1979 a second ambulance was provided to transport heavy rescue gear.

In 1998 with the help of the community, Girdwood Volunteer Fire & Rescue was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization and contracted by the Municipality of Anchorage to provide EMS, fire and rescue services for Girdwood and the surrounding area. We are a member run organization that focuses on providing quality services to the residents of Girdwood. We work closely with the Anchorage Fire Department to provide support for the Girdwood Valley during larger incidents. The Girdwood Fire Department maintains a close relationship with the local firefighters union, jointly working on fundraising events like the yearly "Fill the Boot" for MDA. The Anchorage Fire Department recruits several of our senior members every hiring cycle from within our ranks.

We are committed to providing the highest level of care and rescue services to our Girdwood Valley community.

Since our incorporation we have worked very hard to provide our members with high quality training that best meets the needs of the Girdwood valley. We currently offer in-house training for members to receive three levels of EMT certifications, two levels of firefighter certifications and many additional certifications that help improve the level and quality of care we provide. We also provide regular ongoing training for members to maintain their certifications and stay current on standards of practice.

In an ongoing effort to keep our costs low while still proving a quality service we have applied for and been very successful in receiving numerous grants for equipment and apparatus. Within the last few years GVF&R has secured $126,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide new protective clothing and training materials, and an additional $440,000 through a state grant which covered 80% of the cost of replacing the last of the old Segrave/FWD pumpers. The community of Girdwood received their new water tender, capable of 1500 gpm, in the summer of 2009. In addition, we received $42,205 from the Department of Homeland Security to purchase communications equipment compatible with the new State ALMAR and AWARN radio network.