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The Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department Association recently received a $173,000 donation to build up the Smokey Howell Memorial Fund which began in 2002 from Petersburg's response to a tragedy and continues to support local volunteer training and emergency response capabilities. The most recent donation follows an earlier $70,000 contribution in 2021 – both coming from Howell's family through the Geneva Bartlett Trust - bringing the total endowment to nearly $300,000. The fund honors L...
A Petersburg home was destroyed in a fire on Jan. 13. Just after noon, Petersburg's volunteer fire department, police and Alaska State Troopers responded to the residential fire - located about two miles out of town along Frederick Point Drive. Petersburg's Fire Chief Dan Bird said the house was "completely engulfed in flames" when firefighters arrived on scene. No one was home at the time of the fire; neighbors said the owners are on vacation. The fire was contained by midafternoon. "It's...
January 16, 1925 – The bachelors are going to entertain the people of Petersburg at the Sons of Norway Hall on Saturday, January 17th. There will be entertainment, a big dinner and dancing. Everyone is cordially invited to attend. The bachelors are to be hosts and wish everyone to know that there will be no admittance or other charges. January 13, 1950 – With memories of last winter’s dry spell still fresh in their minds, citizens of Petersburg are watching the city’s water supply dwindle away to almost nothing this week. With her inadequ...
January 8 – Dispatch assisted in contacting the owner of a vehicle to be moved after a parking complaint was received. An officer spoke with a complainant concerning a civil issue. January 9 – A report was received of a possible downed communication line, Power and Light responded. A driver on North Nordic Drive was educated on helmet requirements for passengers of an ATV. On Sandy Beach Road a driver was issued a warning for speed and tag display requirements. Five calls were received regarding a motor vehicle incident in downtown Pet...
January 2024 A prized Mental Health Trust lot by Blind River Rapids, a popular recreation site for sport fishing, was sold at auction to a USCG family. Toler and Jessie Alexander are eager to return to Petersburg after retiring from the Coast Guard in a few years. The borough listed its top priority capital projects, and the Petersburg Medical Center replacement was first and second on the list – for the main hospital construction and the main hospital interior build out. Petersburg Indian A...
December 4 – The Petersburg Police Department (PPD) received a report of a leaking water meter on 4.5 Street. Water Wastewater (W/WW) was notified and responded. PPD received a report of a dog on South 2nd Street being let out into its yard unattended. The Crystal Lake warning system was tested. An officer responded to a parking complaint on Chief John Lott Street and a vehicle was moved from its illegal parking spot at the direction of the officer. December 5 – Travis Miller was cited for dog at large. An officer assisted a citizen on Sou...
Petersburg's student-run nonprofit movie theater, the Northern Nights Theater, has run out of reserves and will have to make some changes starting in January. The last few years have been very challenging and expensive for the organization. Sitting unused through the early stages of the pandemic led to major malfunctions with the movie projector, Theater Manager Cyndy Fry told the Pilot. "We basically had to buy the whole computer guts of the system, [and then] because of that change we had to...
November 26 – An officer spoke with a complainant regarding a civil issue. Petersburg Police Department (PPD) received a report of a vandalized door to a school outbuilding near the track. An officer responded to a disturbance on South 2nd Street and determined it was a civil issue. PPD received multiple reports of fraudulent texts from an individual claiming to be a minister needing Apple gift cards purchased for them to give to cancer patients in the hospital, alleging they were too busy to get the cards themself, but would repay the money a...
A Petersburg borough sanding truck slid into another vehicle on an icy hill and then rolled into the muskeg on December 1. The truck was going up a hill to the local dump at around 4:30 p.m. Dave Berg is a spokesperson for the Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department. He said the sand that the truck had just put down was no match for the steep, slick road. "He was heading up the hill," he said. "There was another vehicle following him, and the sander stopped, [it] basically was not getting any...
Rear Admiral Megan Dean, Commander of the U.S. Coast Guard in Alaska, came to Petersburg on Nov. 21 to thank first responders from Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department, Petersburg Medical Center, the Troopers and the Police - presenting each with a plaque in recognition of their extraordinary response on the night of Nov. 13, 2023, when a Coast Guard helicopter crashed outside of Petersburg....
November 20 – An officer responding to a report of a dog at large on North Nordic Drive found the canine had departed the area. An officer assisted Emergency Medical Services (EMS) on Haugen Drive. Isaiah Etcher was cited on Charles W Street for driving in violation of provisional license requirements. An officer responded to a reported disturbance on South 2nd Street and spoke with all relevant parties. A driver on Baranof Street was issued a warning for an expired registration. November 21 – An officer assisted EMS on Ira II Street. An off...
The members of the Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department elected Dan Bird this month to replace Jim Stolpe as fire chief. Stolpe served two three-year terms as chief, and he intends to continue his volunteering career with PVFD for as long as he is able - though he plans to let his EMT certification expire in the coming year and will slow down a little when it comes to rushing into burning buildings. "After 45 years of doing it, I figure it's time for that younger generation to pick that ball up...
November 13 – Officers responded to a disturbance on South 3rd Street. Officers responded to a disturbance on Haugen Drive and determined it was non-criminal. Officers responded to a report of suspicious activity on North 1st Street and determined it was unfounded. Officers assisted the Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department (PVFD) with a boat fire at the Crane Dock. November 14 – The Petersburg Police Department (PPD) received a report of a fuel smell on North Nordic Drive. The Fire Marshall was notified and responded. Property found on Hau...
A fisherman, who also happens to be a member of the Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department, was checking on his boat in Petersburg's South Harbor Wednesday evening, Nov. 13, when he smelled smoke. He investigated and saw flames through a gally window of the FV Carol B — a tender docked a few stalls away from his own boat. He called it in, and the fire department along with harbor crews mounted a fast response. No one was aboard the Carol B and no one was injured in the fire or the response, confir...
October 30 – An officer conducted extra foot patrols in downtown Petersburg. An officer conducted a welfare check on Sing Lee Alley. An officer assisted EMS with an incident on Chief John Lott Street. A report was received of a runaway dog. The dog was later found by its owner. Evelyn Anderson was cited for speeding. An officer responded to a reported disturbance on S. 4th Street and determined it was non-criminal. October 31 – Found property on Gjoa Street was reported. An officer conducted a welfare check on 12th Street. A runaway canine was...
In costume as inflatable unicorns for the night, Erin Kandoll and her daughter Harlow dance to halloween-themed music as trick-or-treaters in Severson's Subdivision check out a fake dummy in the back of the Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department EMS ambulance on October 31....
Emergency Medical Technician class is underway at the Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department....
October 23 – An officer responded to a report of suspicious activity on Haugen Drive and provided a courtesy transport to an individual in need. A deer was struck by a motor vehicle on Mitkof Highway. Its meat was not salvageable. Additional patrols were requested on South 3rd Street. An officer responded to a noise complaint on North 1st Street and determined it was unfounded. October 24 – An officer responded to a reported disturbance on Ira II Street and determined it was unfounded. The Petersburg Police Department (PPD) received a pos...
A century-old technology has been added to Petersburg's fire hall for emergency communication when all else fails. Amateur radio —or ham radio— is a form of two-way radio communication that allows specially licensed operators to communicate over long distances using radio frequencies reserved for non-commercial use. Think walkie-talkie, but much more powerful. Depending on the equipment and frequency range, ham radio operators can communicate with neighboring communities, countries on the oth... Full story
Weeks after returning from her home state of North Carolina, aiding communities impacted by Hurricane Helene, Petersburg nurse Laura Holder still feels a tightness in her chest — not only from processing the experience, but from the week of breathing toxic dust and mold at the scene. Based out of West Yancey County Fire Department, an ad hoc hub for rescue operations in the region, she spent the week working alongside hundreds of emergency responders, volunteers, and good Samaritans from near a... Full story
Starting next month, Coby Holder, 22, will be the new Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Coordinator for the Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department, a position that has been vacant since late May when Joshua Rathmann moved away. Holder, a Petersburg resident, has volunteered at fire departments for the past three years — one in Petersburg, and the two prior in Wrangell. During his time volunteering for the department in Wrangell, Holder "fell in love" with EMS responding — even though he admittedly...
The EMS branch of Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department is trying out a new response system that no longer holds EMS responders to a fixed schedule. Emergency Services Director Aaron Hankins told the Pilot that it was difficult to get volunteers to commit and sign up for consistent 12-hour shifts; he said there was conversation about changing the shift schedule to more than two shifts in a day, but there was not a consensus among the group to agree on a change. Ultimately, Hankins said EMS...
September 18 – An officer responded to a report of a bear accessing a property on Scow Bay Loop Road. An officer responded to a report of suspicious activity on North Harbor Way and determined it was unfounded. A deer was struck by a vehicle on Mitkof Highway and its meat was salvaged. An officer responded to a welfare check request on South 3rd Street but the individual of concern had left the area. The Petersburg Police Department (PPD) received a report of lost property. PPD received a report of theft on South Nordic Drive. PPD notified P...
In response to low bike helmet use in the community and close-call accidents involving children, an up-and-coming incentive project is bringing more helmets to the streets of Petersburg. In the works since spring, the Helmets Are Sweet project is a joint effort through Petersburg's SHARE Coalition to encourage the use of helmets by promoting and providing access to high-quality helmets, educating the community on proper wear, and rewarding individuals for wearing appropriate helmets. The goal...
September 11 – The Petersburg Police Department (PPD) received a report of a bear getting into trash on Skylark Way. An officer conducted extra patrols. An officer assisted Emergency Medical Services (EMS) with an unconscious individual on Wrangell Avenue. An officer assisted individuals with a civil matter. Officers served a trespass notice on Skylark Way. A dog that was reported missing was later found by its owner. Erica Barragan was arrested on a failure to appear warrant. An officer responded to a report of suspicious activity on Ira II S...
