County profile
Blue Earth County, MN 13 departments
Fire department coverage, staffing, and EMS data for Blue Earth County, part of Minnesota.
Department Types
Fire Departments in Blue Earth County
| Department | Type | Personnel |
|---|---|---|
| AMBOY VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT Amboy · EMS | other | — |
| EAGLE LAKE VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT Eagle Lake · EMS | volunteer | 25 |
| GOOD THUNDER FIRE DEPARTMENT Good Thunder · EMS | volunteer | 23 |
| LAKE CRYSTAL FIRE DEPARTMENT Lake Crystal | volunteer | 25 |
| MADISON LAKE FIRE DEPARTMENT Madison Lake | volunteer | 25 |
| MANKATO FIRE DEPARTMENT Mankato · EMS | other | — |
| MANKATO FIRE DEPARTMENT Mankato · EMS | volunteer | 62 |
| MAPLETON FIRE DEPARTMENT Mapleton | volunteer | — |
| PEMBERTON VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT Pemberton | volunteer | 26 |
| SAINT CLAIR VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT Saint Clair · EMS | volunteer | 26 |
| SKYLINE VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT Mankato | other | — |
| SOUTH BEND VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT Mankato | other | — |
| VERNON CENTER VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT Vernon Center · EMS | volunteer | 21 |
What the Fire Coverage Data Means for Blue Earth County, MN
Blue Earth County reports 13 fire departments in the federal HIFLD registry, staffed by approximately 233 total personnel. The organizational breakdown matters because career, volunteer, and combination departments differ sharply in response time, funding, and training cadence: this county lists 0 career (paid), 9 volunteer, and 0 combination departments. 7 of these departments also provides Emergency Medical Services, meaning the same crews that arrive on a structure fire can often begin patient care on cardiac or trauma calls without waiting for a separate ambulance agency.
Benchmarking the county against its parent state highlights coverage gaps and strengths. Minnesota overall averages roughly 21 personnel per department across 883 departments. Blue Earth County averages 18 personnel per department, 14% below the state mean. Lighter staffing per department is common in rural counties where a larger number of small volunteer companies share territory. The state reports about 28,000 fires and 48 fire deaths annually, and 68% of its departments are volunteer-run.
Residents, property owners, and insurance agents can use this profile in several practical ways. A home inside a career or combination department's first-due area typically earns better ISO Public Protection Classification ratings and lower homeowners premiums than one served solely by a distant volunteer station. If the county is heavily volunteer, it is worth checking whether the nearest department has recent FEMA AFG or SAFER grants and whether mutual-aid agreements extend coverage during large incidents. Click into any department below to see its specific personnel count, station footprint, apparatus inventory, EMS status, and FEMA grant history. All figures come from HIFLD Open Data (FEMA/DHS) and USFA published fire statistics; small volunteer departments are sometimes underreported, so treat zero-value fields as missing data rather than absent services.
FAQ
How many fire departments are in Blue Earth County, MN? ▼
Blue Earth County, MN has 13 fire departments with available federal data. 9 volunteer,
Does Blue Earth County have EMS coverage? ▼
Yes — 7 departments in Blue Earth County provide EMS services.
How many firefighters serve Blue Earth County? ▼
Blue Earth County has 233 total fire department personnel across 13 departments. The average per department is 18, which is 14% below the Minnesota average.
Are Blue Earth County fire departments mostly volunteer? ▼
Yes, 9 of 13 departments (69%) in Blue Earth County are volunteer.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
Top fire departments in Blue Earth, MN
Source: U.S. Fire Administration — National Fire Department Registry NFDR (National Fire Department Registry) · 2024 NFDR is a voluntary registry; not all departments may be included. Personnel counts include both career and volunteer staff.
