County profile
Shelby County, IA 10 departments
10 HIFLD departments in Shelby County, Iowa - coverage desk and roster table below.
Shelby County, IA sits mid-pack on department count (10) with 211 personnel, ranking #17 of 99 in Iowa.
- Personnel rank #17 of 99 in Iowa
- 2.37 stations per 100 personnel
- 36% of roster in Harlan Fire Department
- 9 of 10 depts provide EMS
- 10 of 810 Iowa departments statewide
Fire Departments in Shelby County
| Department | Type | Personnel |
|---|---|---|
| Defiance Fire and Rescue Defiance · EMS | volunteer | 22 |
| Earling Volunteer Fire and Rescue Earling · EMS | other | - |
| Elk Horn Fire and Rescue Elk Horn · EMS | volunteer | 35 |
| Harlan Fire Department Harlan | volunteer | 77 |
| Irwin Volunteer Fire and Rescue Irwin · EMS | other | - |
| Kirkman Fire Department Kirkman · EMS | other | - |
| Panama/Washington Township Fire and Rescue Panama · EMS | volunteer | 30 |
| Portsmouth Cass Township Fire Department Portsmouth · EMS | other | - |
| Shelby Fire and Rescue Shelby · EMS | volunteer | 25 |
| Westphalia Volunteer Fire Department Westphalia · EMS | volunteer | 22 |
Coverage desk
Breadth lane (10 departments) - station density and roster concentration from HIFLD.
Staffing mix: 0 career, 6 volunteer, 0 combination (60% volunteer).
2.37 stations per 100 HIFLD personnel (5 stations / 211 roster).
Largest book: Harlan Fire Department holds 36% of county personnel (77 of 211).
Photo-finish peer: Daviess County, KY (+0 personnel).
FAQ
How many fire departments are in Shelby County, IA? ▼
Shelby County, IA has 10 fire departments with available federal data. 6 volunteer, By total reported personnel it ranks #17 of 99 among Iowa counties with at least one listed department.
Are Shelby County fire departments mostly volunteer? ▼
Yes, 6 of 10 departments (60%) in Shelby County are volunteer.
How many firefighters serve Shelby County? ▼
Shelby County has 211 total fire department personnel across 10 departments. The average per department is 21, which is 5% above the Iowa average.
Does Shelby County have EMS coverage? ▼
Yes - 9 departments in Shelby County provide EMS services.
Nationwide counties with similar fire coverage
Source: U.S. Fire Administration, National Fire Department Registry NFDR (National Fire Department Registry) · 2024 Department count for Shelby County is the HIFLD/NFDR listing in this extract; not every FDID reports staffing.