NOTN- A fire inside Bartlett Regional Hospital forced evacuations and canceled surgeries, but no serious injuries were reported.
According to a press release issued by Bartlett, officials say the fire started just before 2 p.m. in a utility closet in the Surgical Services unit after a worker accidentally cut into electrical heat tape.
A Code Red alert was issued, and hospital staff, patients, and visitors were evacuated as a precaution.
The fire was quickly contained by maintenance crews and Capital City Fire and Rescue.
An all-clear was given later in the afternoon, but outpatient appointments were canceled for the rest of the day, and all elective surgeries scheduled for tomorrow have been called off.
One worker was treated and released, and no patients or visitors were hurt.
NOTN- The City and Borough of Juneau has appointed Thomas Hatley as the new fire chief for Capital City Fire Rescue, his role officially begins today.
City officials said Hatley’s three decades of experience across multiple fire agencies in the Northwest made him a strong fit for Juneau. He has held a range of leadership positions during his career, including fire chief, deputy fire chief, assistant chief and fire marshal.
“Fire chief is always tricky because there are lots of people that you have to please, including the public.” Said Mayor Beth Weldon, “Trying to bring things under control is difficult in an ever-changing world, being at a fire scene is chaotic at best. I know that the firefighters are looking forward to a new chief, so hopefully Chief Hatley will fit the build and also try to revive some of our volunteers.”
Hatley said he is looking forward to joining Capital City Fire Rescue and building on the work of his predecessor.
“I am honored to join the City and Borough of Juneau and the dedicated professionals of Capital City Fire Rescue,” shared Chief Hatley. “After more than three decades in the fire service, I have learned that the strongest departments are built on relationships, trust, and pride in serving the community.”
He also thanked retiring Fire Chief Rich Etheridge.
As fire chief, Hatley will serve as the administrative leader of Capital City Fire Rescue, overseeing emergency response and preparedness, fire prevention and community risk reduction, strategic planning, workforce development, interagency relations and community engagement.
NOTN- Capital City Fire Rescue responded to its first ice-related emergency of the season after a person broke through thin ice on Mendenhall Lake on Tuesday, authorities said in a Facebook post.
The individual fell through the ice but was able to climb out without assistance and was treated for hypothermia, according to a CCFR statement.
The incident comes as Juneau is experiencing cold weather this week.
Officials say that ice conditions remain highly variable and unpredictable across the lake, particularly near the glacier, creek mouths and areas of moving water.
“People ask, ‘When is the lake safe?’ We will say never, as we respond all winter long for people that went through the ice,” CCFR wrote in their post.
The National Weather Service advises that ice thickness can vary dramatically over short distances on Mendenhall Lake and warns that early-season ice is especially unreliable. Even with freezing temperatures, officials expect cycles of thawing and refreezing through the winter.
NOTN- Capital City Fire Rescue Chief Rich Etheridge will retire this fall after more than 15 years leading the department and 34 years in public service.
Etheridge told News of the North the time felt right to “hang up the helmet and put away the ax.”
“It’s just been a roller coaster of a ride,” Etheridge said. “I’ve got to do some amazing stuff, work with some fantastic people, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it, and it’s always a new challenge. Prior to this, I used to get bored of jobs after just a couple of years. But every day is something different, something new. there’s challenges at every turn, so it’s been fun. If you like problem solving, it’s definitely a good career.”
Etheridge said he plans to remain in Juneau, spending more time with family and focusing on his woodworking business, Fairweather Woodworks, which started as a hobby for stress relief.
“It went from doing a lot of stuff for friends and neighbors to Hey, can you make this for me?” Etheridge said, “It’s just kind of naturally started growing, and so I’ll probably be doing that a little more full-time in retirement.”
Assistant Chief Sam Russell praised Etheridge’s leadership, saying the chief’s guidance made it easy for others to do their jobs.
“He’s fantastic to work with,” Russell said. “He’s always sort of looking forward to the next thing that needs to be done, and then lets us go to work trying to solve the problems.”
Sam Russell, Assistant Chief of Administration at CCFR, talks through flood mitigation efforts at August 11 meeting
NOTN- Unified Command is ramping up flood preparations in Juneau, issuing evacuation advisories for at-risk neighborhoods, completing key flood barriers, and closing trails and parks as water levels continue to rise.
in a meeting at the Juneau Police Department, the multi-agency response involving the City and Borough of Juneau, Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida, and state and federal partners told media they were focused on safety, protecting infrastructure, and providing timely public information.
Officials moved the response from “ready” to “set” phase this week, meaning residents in potential inundation zones should be prepared to leave if conditions worsen.
Responders urged residents to have a go-bag ready, review evacuation plans, and sign up for alerts.
Teams are distributing door hangers with QR codes linking to flood maps and emergency updates, and a hotline staffed by responders went live.
The Red Cross has opened an evacuation shelter at Floyd Dryden Gymnasium.
Construction crews have completed Phases 1 and 1A of the HESCO barrier system along the Mendenhall River, but Phase 1B remains on hold due to the lack of property agreements with private landowners.
Closures are also in effect for the pedestrian bridge at Diamond Park, parts of the Montana Creek Trail system, the Brotherhood Bridge Trail, and the Nugget Falls Trail at the glacier. Additional trail closures will be triggered as the lake rises, including the paved Egan Drive path near Brotherhood Bridge once water reaches 10 feet.
Alaska Electric Light & Power plans targeted power cuts in areas that flood, including specific lift stations. Neighborhoods protected by HESCO barriers will not lose power unless inundation occurs. Water and sewer service is not expected to be disrupted.
School officials are coordinating closely with Unified Command and may close schools, release students early, or cancel classes depending on flood warnings from the National Weather Service.
Real-time modeling and flood forecasts are available at JuneauFlood.com.
training exercise at the Juneau International Airport, Photo provided by CBJ
NOTN- The Juneau International Airport will conduct a full-scale emergency response exercise on Saturday, July 26, simulating an aircraft crash and live fire response. The exercise will run from approximately 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is part of required Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety training.
Juneau Mayor Beth Weldon says residents can expect to see visible black smoke and flames on the airport grounds as part of the simulation.
“They’ll be conducting a simulated airport crash and live fire training to allow everybody to get a chance to play all their roles. So this will be controlled burning of fuel, which will produce black smoke to replicate a real world aircraft fire, and so there will be a lot of emergency response vehicles in and around the airport. But again, there’s no danger to the public.”
The exercise is being conducted in coordination with local emergency response agencies and the burning complies with Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) open burning guidelines, which allow limited black smoke emissions for firefighter training purposes. Airport officials say all reasonable efforts are being made to limit environmental impact and minimize the duration of smoke.
To support the drill, Mayor Weldon says the Airport Dike Trail parking lot off Radcliffe Road will be closed to the public, “airport dyke trail parking lot will be closed from 5pm on Friday, July 25 to 1pm on Saturday, July 26 So, and that’s usually one of their staging areas. So just be aware, if you’d like to walk that trail, you might pick a different trail to walk Saturday morning or walk in the afternoon.”
Airport authorities thank the public for their cooperation and understanding as they conduct this important safety training.
