County profile

Custer County, SD 11 departments

11 HIFLD departments in Custer County, South Dakota - coverage desk and roster table below.

11 departments · #15 of 66 in-state

Custer County, SD sits mid-pack on department count (11) with 140 personnel, ranking #15 of 66 in South Dakota.

  • Personnel rank #15 of 66 in South Dakota
  • 5.00 stations per 100 personnel
  • 23% of roster in Argyle Fire Department
  • 6 of 11 depts provide EMS
  • 11 of 365 South Dakota departments statewide
11
Departments
140
Total Personnel
#15 of 66
In-state by personnel
6
Volunteer Depts

Fire Departments in Custer County

All fire departments in Custer County, SD with personnel and station counts
Department Type Personnel
Argyle Fire Department
Hot Springs · EMS
volunteer 32
Buffalo Gap Fire Department
Buffalo Gap
other -
Custer Fire Department
Custer · EMS
volunteer 30
Custer State Park Fire Department
Custer
other -
Dewey Volunteer Fire Department
Edgemont
volunteer 8
Fairburn Fire Protection District
Fairburn
other -
Folsom Volunteer Fire Department
Hermosa · EMS
other -
Hermosa Volunteer Fire Department
Hermosa · EMS
volunteer 23
Highlands Volunteer Fire Department
Edgemont
volunteer 25
Pringle Volunteer Fire Department
Pringle · EMS
volunteer 22
United States Forest Service - Tatanka Hotshots
Custer · EMS
other -

Coverage desk

Breadth lane (11 departments) - station density and roster concentration from HIFLD.

Staffing mix: 0 career, 6 volunteer, 0 combination (55% volunteer).

5.00 stations per 100 HIFLD personnel (7 stations / 140 roster).

Largest book: Argyle Fire Department holds 23% of county personnel (32 of 140).

Photo-finish peer: Dickinson County, IA (+0 personnel).

South Dakota breadth context

State departments
365
Annual fires
7,400
Volunteer %
69%
View South Dakota →

FAQ

How many fire departments are in Custer County, SD?

Custer County, SD has 11 fire departments with available federal data. 6 volunteer, By total reported personnel it ranks #15 of 66 among South Dakota counties with at least one listed department.

Are Custer County fire departments mostly volunteer?

Yes, 6 of 11 departments (55%) in Custer County are volunteer.

How many firefighters serve Custer County?

Custer County has 140 total fire department personnel across 11 departments. The average per department is 13, which is 35% below the South Dakota average.

Does Custer County have EMS coverage?

Yes - 6 departments in Custer County provide EMS services.

Nationwide counties with similar fire coverage

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details.
Top fire departments in Custer, SD Horizontal bar chart of the top 5 items by value (personnel). Top fire departments in Custer, SD Top 5 1. Argyle Fire Department 32 personnel 2. Custer Fire Department 30 personnel 3. Highlands Volunteer Fire Department 25 personnel 4. Hermosa Volunteer Fire Department 23 personnel 5. Pringle Volunteer Fire Department 22 personnel Top 5 fire departments by total personnel in this county.Source: U.S. Fire Administration NFDR.

Source: U.S. Fire Administration, National Fire Department Registry NFDR (National Fire Department Registry) · 2024 Department count for Custer County is the HIFLD/NFDR listing in this extract; not every FDID reports staffing.