CREMS MISSION: "EMS in EVERY HOME"
Copper River EMS Council, Inc. (CREMS) is a private nonprofit EMS agency that has served the Copper River Basin since the early 1980's. CREMS provides the entire region with 24/7/365 Advanced Life Support 911 Ambulance service. We utilize a hybrid/semi-pro model with one paid lead medic stationed in Glennallen who is on duty 24/7. We also rely on our dedicated volunteer responders who sign-up for 12-hour on-call ambulance shifts or simply respond to calls when they are available. We maintain 3 fully-stocked, response ready ambulances with 2 stationed in Glennallen and one in Kenny Lake.
Serving The Community
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For more than 40 years, volunteers from all over the Copper River Basin have dedicated themselves and their time to their fellow community members in their time of need. This inspiring video made by Ray Voley (AKWild1 LLC), a past First Responder, showcases some of the amazing individuals who have selflessly trained, responded, and served their communities as EMS First Responders.
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Support Your LOCAL 911 Ambulance Service
CREMS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and we depend on community support.
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Updated 10/11/25: We reset our donation thermometers to $0 on July 1, 2025.
The totals you see above reflects funds received since 7/1/25. -- During our Fiscal Year 25 (July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025), CREMS raised over $500,000 from donations, grants, and service contracts. See the "Donor Recognition" page for FY25 totals and a full list of donors. -- Already in FY 26, we have raised an additional $4,780 from recurring donations from Dave & Tracy Coon, Marian Lightwood, Tony and Julie Knutson, the Fiebig family, Robin Mayo, Sue Moore, Sally Gilbert, Jessica White, Sherman Stebbins, Joshua Stoveken, and Naomi Young/Casa de la Arte. -- The American Legion Gladys M. Heintz Memorial Post in Glennallen donated another $2,000. -- Ahtna, Inc. donated $25,000 to CREMS in support FY26 operations! -- CRNA renewed its commitment to distribute a substantial portion of its SAMHSA Rural EMS Training grant funding to CREMS. CREMS recently received reimbursement for more than $15,000 of training and administrative expenses! -- The Mat-Su Borough renewed its $5,000 quarterly payments under a service contract for CREMS to provide coverage of the Lake Louise area. -- Thanks to everyone who has donated and contributed and please keep the support flowing! Every donation makes a difference. FY25 set a high bar and we hope to be able to exceed our fundraising goals again in FY26! Click here to see the FY25 totals and a full list of donors ... |
Volunteer Spotlight - Kristy Johns
CREMS is proud to introduce Kristy Johns as our Fall 2025 Volunteer Spotlight. Kristy is one of our most active volunteer responders with the Glennallen Ambulance!
Kristy was born in Alaska and raised in Copper Center and Kenny Lake until the age of 7. She lived in Pennsylvania for 11 years and then came back to Alaska in 2017 at the age of 18. She is Ahtna Athabaskan from the Native Village of Kluti-Kaah. Kristy became interested in the medical field after working in CRNA Primary Care front desk for 3 years. She first obtained her EMT-1 Certification in Spring of 2022 and later advanced to an AK EMT-2 Certification in Fall of 2022. She decided she wanted to work as one of the Emergency Services Technician in CRNA's Primary Care Clinic to gain experience in the eventual hope of being a Community Health Aide. She had always admired their work, and how their positions were tailor-made to fit rural Alaska. Kristy says "I thought it was an amazing way to help the local community and have a long term career. I realized my dream of becoming a health aide and attended Session I in August of 2024." Kristy is now a CHA-II in the Gulkana Community Health Clinic. Kristy says that she "has a passion for the work I do serving the community as a healthcare provider and bridging the gap by bringing vital services to the villages and to homes. I am attending Session III in December, and eventually hope to become a Community Health Practitioner (CHP) which is the highest level after Session IV. I decided to volunteer with CREMS because I saw the need for more volunteers, in order to have a well functioning 24 hour 911 service. I saw the peace of mind it brought to community members. I knew I would also have anxiety if I were in their shoes, especially since we have no 24 hour emergency healthcare available here. I also believe it is a good way to become more proficient in my skills, in order to better serve patients. I see it in a similar light to the work I do as a CHA. Bridging the gap so to speak." Thank you Kristy for all that you do to support healthcare in the Copper River region! |
