Developed in partnership with the Alaska Venture Fund and first piloted in Igiugig, FireGap is a new model for community wildfire preparedness. It brings experts to rural communities for multi-day workshops focused on hands-on training, local equipment use, and fire safety education—tailored to each village’s actual capacity.

But FireGap goes beyond drills and gear. In Igiugig, it included local dance performances, fire-related storytelling, and traditional songs—blending cultural expression with practical preparedness. By rooting response in culture, the training becomes not just educational but empowering.

We’re working to rebuild the rural wildfire workforce through wildland fire credentialing, local crew development, and partnerships with organizations like BBNA, Chugachmiut, and Tanana Chiefs Conference. These efforts aim to restore meaningful jobs while ensuring our communities have trained responders when it matters most.

We’re assisting villages like Igiugig, Kokhanok, and Dillingham in developing formal CWPPs—vital tools that identify fire risks, prioritize mitigation efforts, and unlock access to state and federal funding for infrastructure and response.

In collaboration with university researchers, we’re developing wildfire exposure models to track vegetation change, wind dynamics, and other climate impacts. This research will help document the very real risks our communities face—and strengthen advocacy for long-term investment.

We are challenging outdated, urban-centric policies that block small rural villages from forming recognized fire departments. We advocate for systems that reflect the realities of Tribal communities, where the population may be small—but the stakes are high.