Public Safety
in the Northwest Arctic Borough

The Public Safety Department administers all NAB activities in relation to promotion of public safety in the region, firefighting, search and rescue, administration of the NAB’s Village Public Safety Officer program, and any other functions incidental to the improvement of regional Public safety.

Village Public Safety Officer
(VPSO) Program

The Village Public Safety Officer Program began late in the 1970’s as a means of providing rural Alaskan communities with needed public safety services at the local level. The program was created to reduce the loss of life due to fires, drowning, lost person, and the lack of immediate emergency medical assistance in rural communities.

The Village Public Safety Officer Program was designed to train and employ individuals residing in the village as first responders to public safety emergencies such as search and rescue, fire protection, emergency medical assistance, crime prevention and basic law enforcement. The presence of these officers has had a significant impact on improving the quality of life in the participating villages.

To learn more about the Village Public Safety Officer Program, please visit the VPSO, First Responders, Last Frontier website.