Anchorage Fire Department is an ISO Class 1 public safety department responsible for providing all-hazards prevention, education, and emergency response to the citizens and visitors of Anchorage. Our mission and core value is “to serve our community before, during, and after an emergency". The Anchorage fire service area covers the immediate 166 square miles of the Anchorage bowl and out to Eagle River; EMS coverage extends throughout the 1,961 square miles of the entire Municipality. Mutual Aid agreements exist between the Anchorage Fire Department, Ted Stevens International Airport Police and Fire Department, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Girdwood Fire Department and Chugiak Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department. In addition, the State of Alaska Division of Forestry and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management help protect residents and property lying within the 1961 square mile Municipality during the wildland fire season. The Anchorage Fire Department lends support to communities threatened by wildland fires throughout South-central Alaska. Service within the response area offers a variety of challenges. Rescue and fire response to off-road terrain that requires 4-wheel drive and, occasionally, helicopters, occurs only short distances from major highways and the high-rise, downtown urban area. The Port of Alaska, Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, Merrill Field (the world's busiest small plane airport) and the hub of the Alaska Railroad pose potential industrial and transportation hazards. Suburban and rural areas add to the mix and a young populace spread over a wide socioeconomic range contributes to a full spectrum of emergency response activity. The Anchorage Fire Department serves a diverse need with a fully blended fire and rescue service. The Department staffs thirteen fire stations, a Communications Center, a Fire Prevention office, a Regional Training Center, a video production center, a maintenance facility, and Administrative offices.