County profile
Otter Tail County, MN 17 departments
Fire department coverage, staffing, and EMS data for Otter Tail County, part of Minnesota.
Department Types
Fire Departments in Otter Tail County
| Department | Type | Personnel |
|---|---|---|
| BATTLE LAKE FIRE DEPARTMENT Battle Lake | volunteer | 20 |
| BLUFFTON FIRE DEPARTMENT Bluffton | volunteer | 16 |
| CANDOR-DORA-HOBART-VERGAS FIRE AND RESCUE DEPARTMENT Vergas · EMS | volunteer | 29 |
| DALTON FIRE DEPARTMENT Dalton · EMS | volunteer | 24 |
| DEER CREEK FIRE AND RESCUE Deer Creek · EMS | volunteer | 18 |
| DENT FIRE DEPARTMENT Dent · EMS | volunteer | 22 |
| ELIZABETH FIRE DEPARTMENT Elizabeth · EMS | volunteer | 21 |
| FERGUS FALLS FIRE DEPARTMENT Fergus Falls · EMS | volunteer | 41 |
| HENNING VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT Henning | volunteer | 27 |
| NEW YORK MILLS FIRE DEPARTMENT New York Mills · EMS | volunteer | 22 |
| OTTERTAIL FIRE AND RESCUE Ottertail · EMS | volunteer | 29 |
| PARKERS PRAIRIE FIRE DEPARTMENT Parkers Prairie | volunteer | 27 |
| PELICAN RAPIDS VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT Pelican Rapids | volunteer | 24 |
| PERHAM FIRE DEPARTMENT Perham | volunteer | 30 |
| UNDERWOOD FIRE DEPARTMENT Underwood · EMS | other | — |
| UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE - FERGUS FALLS WETLAND MANAGEMENT DISTRICT Fergus Falls | other | — |
| VINING FIRE DEPARTMENT Vining · EMS | other | — |
What the Fire Coverage Data Means for Otter Tail County, MN
Otter Tail County reports 17 fire departments in the federal HIFLD registry, staffed by approximately 350 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), 14 volunteer, and 0 combination departments. 10 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. Otter Tail County averages 21 personnel per department, 0% above the state mean. Heavier staffing usually signals higher population density, more commercial risk, or county-wide mutual aid consolidation. 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 Otter Tail County, MN? ▼
Otter Tail County, MN has 17 fire departments with available federal data. 14 volunteer,
Does Otter Tail County have EMS coverage? ▼
Yes — 10 departments in Otter Tail County provide EMS services.
How many firefighters serve Otter Tail County? ▼
Otter Tail County has 350 total fire department personnel across 17 departments. The average per department is 21, which is 0% above the Minnesota average.
Are Otter Tail County fire departments mostly volunteer? ▼
Yes, 14 of 17 departments (82%) in Otter Tail County are volunteer.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
Top fire departments in Otter Tail, 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.
