County profile
Cherokee County, NC 13 departments
Fire department coverage, staffing, and EMS data for Cherokee County, part of North Carolina.
Department Types
Fire Departments in Cherokee County
| Department | Type | Personnel |
|---|---|---|
| ANDREWS FIRE DEPARTMENT Andrews | volunteer | 25 |
| BELLVIEW VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT Murphy · EMS | volunteer | 21 |
| CULBERSON VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT Murphy · EMS | other | — |
| GRAPE CREEK VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT INCORPORATED Murphy | volunteer | 34 |
| HANGING DOG VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT Murphy · EMS | other | — |
| HIWASSEE DAM VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT Murphy · EMS | volunteer | 37 |
| MARTINS CREEK VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT INCORPORATED Murphy | volunteer | 25 |
| MURPHY FIRE DEPARTMENT Murphy · EMS | volunteer | 25 |
| PEACHTREE VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT Murphy · EMS | volunteer | 31 |
| RANGER VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT Murphy · EMS | volunteer | 42 |
| UNAKA VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT Murphy · EMS | volunteer | 13 |
| VALLEYTOWN RURAL FIRE DEPARTMENT Marble · EMS | other | — |
| WOLFCREEK FIRE DEPARTMENT Murphy | volunteer | 18 |
What the Fire Coverage Data Means for Cherokee County, NC
Cherokee County reports 13 fire departments in the federal HIFLD registry, staffed by approximately 271 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), 10 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. North Carolina overall averages roughly 26 personnel per department across 1,534 departments. Cherokee County averages 21 personnel per department, 19% 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 62,800 fires and 131 fire deaths annually, and 57% 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.
North Carolina Overview
- State departments
- 1,534
- Annual fires
- 62,800
- Volunteer %
- 57%
FAQ
How many fire departments are in Cherokee County, NC? ▼
Cherokee County, NC has 13 fire departments with available federal data. 10 volunteer,
Does Cherokee County have EMS coverage? ▼
Yes — 10 departments in Cherokee County provide EMS services.
How many firefighters serve Cherokee County? ▼
Cherokee County has 271 total fire department personnel across 13 departments. The average per department is 21, which is 19% below the North Carolina average.
Are Cherokee County fire departments mostly volunteer? ▼
Yes, 10 of 13 departments (77%) in Cherokee County are volunteer.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
Top fire departments in Cherokee, NC
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.
