Assembly urges state to create bulk-purchase program for wildfire ‘structural-defense’ kits

The Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly adopted a resolution on Sept. 11 urging the state of Alaska to explore a purchasing program to reduce the cost of portable structural-defense wildfire kits and expand training for homeowners in remote areas.

Assemblymember Therese Haney, sponsor of the resolution, said recent wildfires showed the kits — portable pumps, tripods, sprinklers and water ‘‘pumpkins’’ — can be a ‘‘game changer’’ when set up before a fire. Haney told the Assembly that residents in multiple fire-affected areas had purchased and deployed kits during the 2025 season and that those deployments helped protect homes.

‘‘If we have them on hand, it would save state and federal partners money and shorten response times,’’ Haney said in a staff presentation describing the equipment and examples from this year. Haney asked the Assembly to urge the state to create a program enabling bulk purchase and subsidized sales or procurement guidance so homeowners can obtain kits at lower cost.

Haystack Mountain residents who testified during public comment backed the proposal. Gary Young, who said his community lacks dependable water sources for drafting, described kits as ‘‘portable’’ units with pumps and small water reservoirs that enable rapid deployment. Young told the Assembly that he had seen price estimates around $8,000 per kit for locally purchased units.

James Strickland, another Haystack resident, said crews that deployed kits from Kenai helped protect structures during the recent fire and that having kits pre-positioned would reduce the need for long-distance federal or state deployments.

Debate among Assemblymembers centered on whether the measure should be a standalone resolution or added to the borough’s legislative-priorities list. Assemblymember Theresa Reeves said she supported the policy but preferred adding it to the list of legislative priorities to let lobbyists pursue it. Assemblymember Guttenberg and others argued the resolution has value as a public-education tool and asked staff to preserve that visibility.

Some members raised potential risks. Assemblymember Crass asked whether the availability of kits could encourage residents to remain in danger zones; Haney and other supporters said the kits augment — not replace — defensible-space practices and local wildfire planning. Members also discussed procurement, training, and whether bulk buying would materially lower prices.

After extended debate, the Assembly voted to adopt the resolution. The clerk recorded individual roll-call votes; immediate-reconsideration was later attempted and failed, leaving the resolution in effect. The resolution asks the borough’s lobbyists and staff to advocate for a state program to enable reduced-cost purchase, training and technical guidance for structural-defense kits.

Next steps: the resolution asks staff to pursue legislative contacts and to report back on possible procurement strategies and cost estimates. The Assembly indicated it may also add the topic to the legislative-priorities discussion later this month.