Ketchikan’s South Tongass Volunteer Fire Department fire station is back in operation. That’s after a fire linked to faulty apparatus equipment badly damaged the facility and destroyed five emergency vehicles in 2024.
The rebuild cost $4.2 million and was largely financed by insurance funds. It included stripping the building and modifying it to code. A new sprinkler system was also installed.
South Tongass Fire Chief Steve Rydeen said they tried to keep the facility about the same as it was before.
“We have to make sure that we’re prudent with the taxpayers’ dollars,” he said. “So we didn’t do a lot of changes. We just did what we had to for operational needs.”
The department is made up of mostly volunteers, and is funded primarily through borough dollars, which helped purchase new emergency vehicles. Some were also donated or loaned from communities around the state.
The department began operating out of the rebuilt firehouse last month. Rydeen said the department was working out of two different facilities during the rebuild. The fire chief and captain were at the White Cliff building in town.
“You know, you got a couple guys working here and a couple of guys working down there. There’s not as good of communication,” Rydeen said.
The department is still organizing equipment and furniture. They’ll soon purchase another ambulance with grant funding.
The South Tongass firehouse was first built in 2008. Rydeen said they’ll have an open house event for the rebuilt facility next month.
Hunter Morrison is a Report for America corps member for KRBD. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one. Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution.
