The Nome Volunteer Fire Department (NVFD) is responsible for fire protection, search and rescue, hazardous material (hazmat) response, and related emergencies around the City of Nome and the Nome airport. The NVFD is also responsible for non-emergency functions including fire investigating, fire safety, fire prevention, and fire education.

The NVFD excels in the area of search and rescue. A majority of searches and rescues occur in the winter months with teams of fire department volunteers using snowmobiles.

The City of Nome currently has a split ISO rating of 5/9 from the 1984 Survey. It means that dwellings or buildings within 1000 feet of a hydrant AND within 5 road miles from a fire station get the higher Class 5 rating. Other building not meeting both criteria get the lower Class 9 rating.

There are currently 42 members in the department. They protect over 14 square miles and over 3500 people. The fire department also has a seat on the Local Emergency Planning Commission (LEPC).