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Eastern Peninsula Highway Emergency Service Area reports improved response times, proposes higher stipends
Summary
Chief Richard Bracken told the assembly the Eastern Peninsula Highway Emergency Service Area (EPHISA) covers about 103 miles of highway, is funded by PILT, and proposes higher performance stipends while maintaining a 15‑minute response benchmark for FY26.
For the record, Chief Richard Bracken presented the Eastern Peninsula Highway Emergency Service Area (EPHISA) FY26 budget to the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly Committee of the Whole on April 15 in Seward. He said the service area covers roughly 103 miles of highway on the borough’s east side, is funded by Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) and has 0.5 contracted personnel split between two Bear Creek employees.
Bracken outlined a three-tier stipend system for cooperating agencies and said the FY26 proposal increases agency performance stipends by $12,870. Under the current schedule, agencies receive $300 for an initial incident command response, $600 for transport and $800 for incidents requiring extrication or fire response. Bracken said agencies qualifying for a higher “all‑facet” stipend include Girdwood Fire Department, Central Emergency Services, Bear Creek Fire Service Area and the Seward Fire Department.
Response-time performance is tied to a discretionary third stipend. The current benchmark is 15 minutes from dispatch to the time an appropriate apparatus leaves its agency’s station with at least two personnel on board; Bracken said the service area will consider lowering the benchmark as agencies strengthen. He noted measurable improvements: “They were sitting at a 13 minute and 29 second response time as it relates to dispatch to en route,” and some agencies have reduced their station‑departure times to about 5 minutes and 54 seconds, he said.
Why this matters: EPHISA supports remote, high‑risk corridors such as Turnagain Pass and sections of the Sterling Highway, where limited communications and long travel distances complicate emergency response.
Budget summary and communications needs: Bracken said the FY26 net change for the service area is a budget decrease of $7,308 (‑1.99 percent), largely because a FY25 capital purchase (a vehicle fire trainer) will not recur; the stipend increase is the primary FY26 expenditure increase. He emphasized persistent communications shortfalls across the service area and said the service area will continue to provide matching funds for state tower expansion (ALR) focused on Turnagain Pass and other dead‑zone areas.
Agencies and mutual-aid structure: The EPHISA program maps six response segments, each with tiered primary and secondary responders; agencies named by Bracken included Cooper Landing Emergency Services, Hope Sunrise Emergency Services, Moose Pass Volunteer Fire Company, Seward Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Girdwood Fire Department, Central Emergency Services and Seward Fire Department. An assembly member asked for clarification of the colored segment map and Bracken explained which agencies provide initial responses and which act as tier‑two backups.
Long‑term issues: Bracken highlighted ongoing concerns about poor communications and limited cell coverage for early caller notification, winter response effectiveness along Hope Highway and Turnagain Pass, and the need to reassess response-time benchmarks as agencies gain capacity. The presentation concluded without a formal assembly vote; assembly members indicated continued interest in communications solutions and performance metrics.
