(Photo by Olivia Schmidt/KFSK)
Volunteers boost the ranks of emergency services in small towns across Alaska, and Petersburg is no exception. But the town’s EMS department has been facing a serious shortage of volunteers for years.
Petersburg’s emergency responders answer the call for fires, medical crises, and search and rescue missions. They’re available around the clock, and have responded to about 80 calls over the past three months. With all that in mind, it may surprise some to learn almost all of these services are mostly performed by volunteers.
“The borough has three paid employees, so the borough relies almost wholly on volunteers to run the department,” Dave Berg, a veteran volunteer firefighter and assistant fire chief, said.
Berg said the town’s emergency services are structured like this for multiple reasons, including constraints in the city budget, a smaller tax base, and the lack of mutual aid.
“We have a smaller footprint as far as revenue that comes in and the small tax base, and that has us relying on volunteers,” Berg said. “[This system] is relied on in a number of rural communities across the country.”
However, Berg said the reality is that maintaining the standard of volunteer EMS service in Petersburg has become increasingly challenging — especially during the busy summer months, when the number of available volunteers dwindles. Daniel Bird is a captain at the fire department. He said the volunteer shortage is limiting the department’s ability to respond effectively.
“When you call 911, you hope that the ambulance is going to be there super quick,” Bird said. “But we’re being so short staffed that it just takes some time, because we respond from a house being volunteers. And if you live out at 2 or 3 mile, you gotta drive all the way into the station, get the ambulance, and then drive all the way out to wherever the call is, which can take a good 10 minutes sometimes.”
The fire department’s roster currently lists about 15 EMS volunteers, but Bird said the number of active responders can drop to as low as six or seven at any given time.
“We respond if we can, because we know everybody has a life,” Bird said. “I’ve been here for 20 years now. These days we seem to have a hard time finding people to come help. I’m not sure why people just don’t have the drive to want to volunteer. ”
The reasons behind the low levels of participation are complicated. For one, during the summer months, many regular volunteers are out of town working or fishing.
“There is a seasonal thing where a lot of our EMTs are fishermen, so they’re gone,” Bird explained. “They’re gone for 5-6 months of the year. So, that’s why we’re kind of short staffed.”
William Bergman is an engineer with the fire department. He thinks the lack of community participation has more to do with what he sees as a broader, nationwide trend.
“I think there’s so many other things to do, and for a lot of people, it’s easier to sit at home and turn on the TV or get on the social media than to get involved,” Bergman said.
Bergman has been involved with the fire department for decades. He said his dedication stems from a deeply personal experience.
“The reason I stayed is one of the first major fires I was on, it was an awful thing where a small child died,” Bergman explained. “And I thought to myself, you know, what if people didn’t volunteer to do this kind of work. If no one came, if there was a fire …. But since then I’ve seen some really great saves and I’ve seen some real disasters, but you always feel good about what you’re doing because you’re trying to help people in their worst times”.
To compensate for the dramatic decrease in staffing, Petersburg’s EMS has had to adapt. They recently started a new shift regime.
“We’ve gone from a day shift/night shift assignments to more of an all call type thing,” Berg said. “When we get a call from the police dispatch, EMS people and fire responders are wearing a pager. They hear what the page is, they hear what the emergency is. Those that can drop everything and respond, do.”
Berg said this new measure has worked so far, but it is by no means a permanent solution for the staffing issues. The department is exploring other incentives to join, including applying to a SAFER grant that would give volunteers a small stipend. But for many current volunteers, like Dan Christensen, the motivation to serve goes beyond financial incentives.
“I did it for personal satisfaction,” Christensen said. “But also because this is home. I want to take care of my people. We’re out here in the middle of nowhere, Alaska. Who’s going to take care of us? Us. We are us, and you are us.
As Petersburg’s emergency services continue to navigate these challenges, the focus remains on finding new volunteers to ensure the community’s safety. The department hopes that more residents will recognize the importance of their involvement, and consider joining the ranks of those who answer the call when it matters most.
If you’re interested in volunteering with Petersburg EMS, you can find an application online at joinpvfd.org. Volunteers can choose which branch they would like to join, including the fire department, EMS, and search and rescue — or all three. The Borough will provide training.
