County profile
Mcdowell County, NC 11 departments
Fire department coverage, staffing, and EMS data for Mcdowell County, part of North Carolina.
Department Types
Fire Departments in Mcdowell County
| Department | Type | Personnel |
|---|---|---|
| ASHFORD-NORTH COVE VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT Marion · EMS | volunteer | 20 |
| DYSARTSVILLE VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT INCORPORATED Nebo | other | — |
| GLENWOOD VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT Marion | volunteer | 36 |
| HANKINS - NORTH FORK VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT Marion · EMS | other | — |
| MARION FIRE DEPARTMENT Marion · EMS | volunteer | 34 |
| NEBO VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT Nebo · EMS | volunteer | 33 |
| OLD FORT VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT INCORPORATED Old Fort · EMS | other | — |
| PLEASANT GARDENS VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT INCORPORATED Marion · EMS | volunteer | 38 |
| SUGAR HILL-MONTFORD COVE VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT INCORPORATED Marion · EMS | volunteer | 30 |
| THE CROOKED CREEK TOWNSHIP VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT Old Fort | volunteer | 40 |
| WOODLAWN - SEVIER VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT INCORPORATED Marion · EMS | other | — |
What the Fire Coverage Data Means for Mcdowell County, NC
Mcdowell County reports 11 fire departments in the federal HIFLD registry, staffed by approximately 231 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), 7 volunteer, and 0 combination departments. 8 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. Mcdowell 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 Mcdowell County, NC? ▼
Mcdowell County, NC has 11 fire departments with available federal data. 7 volunteer,
Does Mcdowell County have EMS coverage? ▼
Yes — 8 departments in Mcdowell County provide EMS services.
How many firefighters serve Mcdowell County? ▼
Mcdowell County has 231 total fire department personnel across 11 departments. The average per department is 21, which is 19% below the North Carolina average.
Are Mcdowell County fire departments mostly volunteer? ▼
Yes, 7 of 11 departments (64%) in Mcdowell County are volunteer.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
Top fire departments in Mcdowell, 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.
