Emergency responders staged to deploy if avalanches threaten lives

CCFR, JMR and SEADOGS plot their response in case the worst comes to pass

Mount Juneau is seen above downtown Juneau on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Independent)

By Natalie Buttner

Juneau Independent

After consecutive winter storms, heavy rain in Juneau is increasing the likelihood that more heavy snow could slide. A Friday morning evacuation advisory was issued for neighborhoods in all known slide paths, and emergency responders anticipate their roles in case an avalanche hits an urban area. 

Snow slides have already occurred in most of the known paths, and the potential for more continues to increase, according to the city’s avalanche advisory. The National Weather Service in Juneau issued a flood advisory until Saturday evening, accompanied by predictions of warmer temperatures, strong winds, and several inches of rain. The city is directing affected residents to an emergency shelter at Centennial Hall, which opened at noon.

As of 7:30 p.m. Friday, Capital City Fire/Rescue had not received a report of any damages or been called for a rescue. Additionally, there were no search and rescues listed in Juneau on the Alaska State Troopers’ dispatch page.

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities has detected numerous large avalanches since the Thane Road closure on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. In this image, the dots represent avalanches detected from infrasound along Thane Road. The most recent avalanche that occurred, just before 3:15 p.m., ran over the diversion structure and stopped close to the highway. (Graphic provided by DOT)

If CCFR needs to respond to an avalanche, Assistant Chief Sam Russell said the fire department would initially respond to the scene to assess its size. 

“There’s a difference in response from an avalanche that was in the back, ran into one house, versus one that takes out several, and so we really have to do reconnaissance and determine the scope of the incident,” Russell said in an interview Friday evening. 

Russell said the immediate response would be two personnel in a pickup truck or utility vehicle. 

“We respond to either edge to get an idea of the scope and what's been impacted, and then if there is a need for rescue, we do immediate rescue, line of sight, working from the safe area as much as possible,” Russell said. He also stressed the importance of evacuation for those in slide paths to avoid an emergency rescue altogether. 

In a more significant slide, CCFR would get more information and clearance from the State Emergency Operations Center, according to Russell. He said CCFR’s minimum response would be eight personnel, but 60-70 personnel could be fielded depending on the response from volunteers. 

In March 2024, CCFR, the City and Borough of Juneau, Southeast Alaska Dogs Organized for Ground Search, and Juneau Mountain Rescue simulated an urban avalanche in a vacant lot. 

“We set up a training site in a big snow pit and buried debris and created scene chaos so that we can practice responding to something like this,” recalled Jackie Ebert, operations chair for JMR.

In response to increased avalanche risk, Ebert said JMR has been coordinating with the city’s emergency response program. JMR has been keeping a roster of its members who are available throughout the weekend and where they are located. According to Ebert, as of Friday afternoon, JMR had 43 people on its call roster. 

“In an urban avalanche situation, we would be called in as field resources, so boots on the ground to help organize the in-person rescue, setting up probe lines, helping manage spontaneous volunteers, and kind of instructing them on how they can help with rescue and recovery efforts,” Ebert said. 

She said JMR has experience with landslide response, backcountry avalanche response, and was consulted when an avalanche blocked a road and knocked out power in Eagle River. 

“Currently we're coordinating with the SEADOGS team, because we often deploy into the field in tandem with that organization,” she said. 

Will Metcalf encourages his dog Wren to climb down an obstacle during a SEADOGS training on Saturday, July 12, 2025. The fencing simulated the type of obstacles the dogs might have to navigate when performing urban rescues. (Natalie Buttner / Juneau Independent) 

SEADOGS handler Marcy Larson said on Friday afternoon that their dogs were organized and ready to go in the event of an avalanche. 

“The team captain has called us all, put us on alert for our team, and we reported into the team leaders, our positions, our gear status, our assets, and where we are,” Larson said. 

She said if SEADOGS are activated by the Alaska State Troopers, the organization has four dogs that are immediately able to respond to an avalanche, and “a couple more that are reporting in and will be on standby.” 

“Our dogs are always ready,” Larson said. “That’s not an issue. They do know, though, that our gear is in the car. Everything’s ready. They were hearing radios charging up and stuff like that, so they know something's up, but they’re just being their normal selves.” 

While first responders ready themselves for the possibility of an avalanche, Russell stressed the importance of following evacuation advisories for those located in slide paths. 

“People should know where their avalanche areas are and know their risk and should really evacuate,” Russell said. “The more people we can get out of the zone, the less likely we're going to have to perform rescue and the less likely that we're going to have to put anybody else at risk. And so we really ask that people, even though it's an evacuation advisory and we're not doing mandatory evacuations — we really want people to evacuate to keep them safe.” 

• Contact Natalie Buttner at natalieb@juneauindependent.com.