Shungnak fire responders train in September 2022, to draw water for fire response from various sources. - Photo courtesy of Hans Nelson.

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After the March fire in Selawik killed two adults and two children, Northwest Arctic Borough fire officials are working to educate the community members about fire response and prevention.

Hans Nelson, the borough's Fire Safety Coordinator, traveled to Shungnak and Noatak this fall to meet with battalion chiefs, volunteer firefighters and residents and address fire safety needs in their communities. Nelson plans to travel to more villages in the upcoming months.

"When we had that Selawik fire incident," Nelson said, "our volunteer firefighters and first responders were frantically trying to access water, but they didn't realize that the river had frozen all the way through. So if we had potentially done drills, we could have very well known where to get water from and we would have been better prepared."

During his visits to Shungnak and Noatak, Nelson practiced with local fire responders — battalion chiefs and volunteers — getting water from the fire hydrants, as well as from static water sources such as rivers, ponds, lakes or even deep puddles. The training also included closely looking at buildings and structures that communities depend on the most — for example, stores that provide the majority of resources in some villages.

"We can identify if there were to be a fire incident at that store, how can we save the building in terms of where we get our water?" Nelson said. "How fast can we respond to that incident to preserve that infrastructure?"

Fire responders practiced examining hazards around the structure on fire — for example, identifying whether there is power connected to the building or fuel shutoff valves, Nelson said.

While fire officials are still investigating the origin of the Selawik fire, several factors likely contributed to the deaths, Acting State Fire Marshal with the Alaska Department of Public Safety Lloyd Nakano said.

"There was only one door that allowed for an exit," Nakano said, "and we could not determine if there was a working smoke or carbon monoxide alarm installed."

This is why during the training this fall, Nelson gave a 10-minute-long presentation to the children, talking about exit drills and where smoke alarms should be located. A day after the presentation, he followed up with the children, asking them what they learned, and later in the week, hosted a hot dog cookout, providing smoke alarms to individuals who need them.

"I did a follow-up with the kids and said, 'What did you find out? Did you do you have a smoke alarm? Does it work? Did you test it?'" he said. "We have to be thinking about smoke alarms, we have to be testing our smoke alarms, because this will save our lives. It will save our homes."

All Alaskans should have a working smoke detector in each room where people sleep and a carbon monoxide detector on each level of the house, Nakano said.

They should keep their smoke detectors clean and clear of debris, test them monthly and replace them every 10 years. The same goes for heating systems: whether you have a fireplace, wood stove, or commercially produced heating system, you should inspect your heating system each year to ensure that it is functioning correctly.

With the arrival of fall, the homes need heat, and the fire danger grows.

"We see residential structure fires begin to increase starting in September; this is a statewide trend," said Austin McDaniel, communications director at the Alaska State Troopers. "This is usually when many Alaskans begin operating their heating systems on a regular basis."

McDaniel explained that "fires in fall and springtime in residential settings, especially rural Alaska, are typically due to heating system issues, cooking or careless fire prevention habits, such as unsafe smoking practices or improper storage of fuel or other combustibles."

Nelson said that in his experience, chimney fires are also some of the most common fires in the area.

"A lot of our homes, they are equipped with wood stoves," he said, "so naturally during the winter months, as they get more and more use, there are issues and concerns related to chimney fires that are regularly reported to my office."

For fireplaces or woodstoves, "Alaskans should be using only wood, or wood pellets and pucks," Nakano said. They should also burn with the flue opened and cleaned. In turn, gas or oil heating systems should be inspected at least annually, he said.

"If your system is not working correctly, have it fixed instead of operating it unsafely," he said.

Nakano suggested never storing combustible materials near the heating source, the fuel inside of a residence and trash and other ignitable materials - in an arctic entryway or near doors or windows where they can prevent the safe exit if a fire were to occur.

Another important precaution is to avoid smoking indoors.

"Smoking indoors is the No. 1 cause of death for residential structure fires in the U.S., with over an average of over 1,000 people killed each year across the country," Nakano said. "If you are going to smoke indoors, make sure that you are not near other combustible materials, and always dispose of cigarette butts responsibly. You should also never smoke near an oxygen tank or oxygen generator."

So far, Nelson spent three days in Shungnak and three in Noatak, conducting fire prevention and response training, "to ensure there was enough time to go over everything." In the next three months, he plans to come to Selawik, Deering and Ambler.

"These are the five communities that need the most attention and have really more fire incidents that occur in this region," he said.

As winter approaches, fire training begins to get more challenging because activating hydrants can compromise the village's water system.

"That's not something I want to do during the winter months," Nelson said. "So when winter hits, it's my plan and intention to go to the other five communities and actually draw water from the river even though it's frozen.

"I believe the most important part is having the opportunity and education to change people's behavior to become more fire conscious and aware."

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