Utqiaġvik lagoon death prompts questions on rescue training

A North Slope Borough Assembly member pressed Mayor Josiah Patkotak and the borough's fire chief Tuesday on training and equipment after a young man died in a lagoon in Utqiaġvik, saying it took almost 30 minutes to get him out of the water.

"For a lot of people watching what happened, it just seemed like we weren't prepared as a borough, maybe as a fire department, first responders," Assembly member Avaiyak Burnell said. He said that part of the lagoon is shallow.

Burnell said he had asked about the fire department's budget for two years. Training money was almost zeroed out two years ago, he said, and equipment money was zeroed out this year.

Patkotak said the borough lost its ability to legally hold state-accredited training around 2020 and regained accreditation in 2025. He said the borough cut some training travel money to hire an in-house training officer, and has also brought in an accredited trainer through Iḷisaġvik College. "The ability to train didn't get derailed overnight, and it's not going to be rebuilt overnight," he said.

On equipment, Patkotak said the borough zeroed out operating money for purchases of $10,000 or more because items like the jaws of life can be bought through capital or supplemental budgets. He said the borough has a contingency budget in "the $20 million range" for those needs.

Fire Chief Anthony Neakok called the death "a very tragic incident" and, echoing Burnell, said "it is a big failure to have that type of situation happen." He said the department has spent three years rebuilding with new employees, volunteers and training, and is "still a relatively young department, not only age-wise but also experience-wise." He said he didn't want to call that the main weakness in the incident, but that the department is looking into it.

Assembly member Frederick Brower, a former borough firefighter and surface water rescue instructor, said the response was "a great response and an effort for everyone trying their best that they could do with the knowledge that they have." He asked for more surface water rescue training for volunteers and search and rescue groups across the North Slope. Patkotak said he agreed, and that the borough now funds a search and rescue coordinator in every community.

Burnell said there are still no barricades around the lagoon and asked for more lighting, barricades and education in schools. "Could almost guarantee you won't be the last time something like this happens," he said.

Another assembly member asked whether a bridge could let water flow in and out of the lagoon. Patkotak said a storm before the death damaged the causeway under the road, and that the borough is working with its Public Works Department on replacing it. He said the planned seawall would let the borough drain the lower lagoon when needed.