Emergency Info
Who to call, what to expect, and how to be ready - the practical basics of staying safe on a ferry-only island.
Help is here - but the water shapes everything.
Anderson Island has its own volunteer fire and rescue service, and 911 works exactly as you'd expect. What's different is the ferry: there's a strait between the island and the nearest hospital, and that shapes how serious emergencies unfold.
For a major medical emergency, responders may call in a medevac helicopter or move a patient by fireboat rather than wait for the ferry. The island's first responders plan for this constantly - but it's worth understanding before you need it, and worth being a little more prepared than you might be on the mainland.
The numbers worth saving.
For any true emergency, 911 comes first. These are the non-emergency and situation-specific numbers worth keeping in your phone.
Numbers change - verify the Tanner Electric's outage number against their official sites before relying on them.
Who responds, and how.
Anderson Island Fire & Rescue (Pierce County Fire District 27) runs from Station 27 on Lake Josephine Blvd. It's a mostly-volunteer department handling fire, medical, and rescue calls.
They're the ones 911 pages for island emergencies. They also welcome volunteers - no experience needed to start.
Law enforcement is provided by the Pierce County Sheriff's Department.
For anything urgent or in progress, call 911. The non-emergency line is for reports that can wait.
Electricity comes from Tanner Electric Cooperative via a submarine cable across the strait. Outages can follow storms; report them to Tanner directly.
A backup plan matters here, especially in winter. Many islanders keep a generator - whole-house or portable - and it's a sensible investment given how weather can knock out power.
A mostly-volunteer department.
Anderson Island Fire & Rescue runs largely on volunteers - neighbors who train for fire, medical, and water rescue and answer the call at any hour. On an island with a strait between it and the nearest hospital, that commitment is what stands between an emergency and help arriving.
They also run a wildfire home-assessment program, where a department member walks your property and flags ways to lower your risk before fire season. Call 253-884-4040 to set one up. And no experience is needed to join - they welcome new volunteers.
About Fire & RescueAnderson Island Prepares.
You're not on your own out here. Anderson Island Prepares is a volunteer-driven program that has organized the whole island for disaster readiness - dividing it into eight zones, each with its own Neighborhood Coordinator, so that when the ferry can't run and outside help is hours away, neighbors know how to check on and support each other.
Their site helps you find your zone and coordinator, prepare your household, and learn how the island's response network operates. If you live here, getting connected with them before you ever need to is one of the smartest things you can do.
Visit Anderson Island Prepares →Worth having on hand.
A ferry-only island means help and supplies can be delayed by weather. A little preparation goes a long way.
- Several days of essentials - food, water, and any medications, in case the ferry stops running
- A full tank of gas before you come over - there's no fuel on the island
- Flashlights and a battery bank for power outages, plus a way to stay warm
- A landline or Wi-Fi calling as a backup when cell coverage drops
- The last ferry time saved, so a late-night emergency isn't a surprise
- A first-aid kit and knowledge of who your nearest neighbors are
If your cell coverage fails.
Cell coverage on the island is uneven and can drop in storms or dead zones. If you can't get a signal in an emergency:
Try a landline if one's available - they often work when cell towers are overloaded. Move to higher ground or toward the ferry landing, where coverage tends to be better. Wi-Fi calling works over home internet if your phone supports it, even with no cell bars. And knock on a neighbor's door - on this island, that's a real option.
More about the community.
Organizations
The fire district, the advisory board, and the rest of the groups that keep the island running.
Read MoreGetting Here
How the ferry works and where to check for delays - the lifeline that shapes island emergencies.
Read MoreLiving Here
Utilities, internet, healthcare, and the honest practical picture of life on a ferry-only island.
Read More