County profile
Taylor County, TX 13 departments
Fire department coverage, staffing, and EMS data for Taylor County, part of Texas.
Department Types
Fire Departments in Taylor County
| Department | Type | Personnel |
|---|---|---|
| Abilene Fire Department Abilene · EMS | career | 178 |
| Abilene Fire Department Abilene | other | - |
| Buffalo Gap Volunteer Fire Department Buffalo Gap | volunteer | 25 |
| Elm Creek Citizens Association Volunteer Fire Department Tuscola | other | - |
| Elm Creek Citizens Association Volunteer Fire Department Tuscola | volunteer | 28 |
| Hamby Volunteer Fire Department Abilene | volunteer | 23 |
| Jim Ned Volunteer Fire Department Tuscola | volunteer | 17 |
| Merkel Volunteer Fire Department Merkel | volunteer | 25 |
| Mulberry Canyon Volunteer Fire Department Merkel · EMS | volunteer | 18 |
| Potosi Volunteer Fire Department Abilene · EMS | volunteer | 16 |
| Trent Volunteer Fire Department Trent · EMS | other | - |
| Tye Volunteer Fire Department Tye | volunteer | 17 |
| View Volunteer Fire Department Abilene · EMS | volunteer | 16 |
What the Fire Coverage Data Means for Taylor County, TX
Taylor County reports 13 fire departments in the federal HIFLD registry, staffed by approximately 363 total personnel. The organizational breakdown matters because career, volunteer, and combination departments differ sharply in response time, funding, and training cadence: this county lists 1 career (paid), 9 volunteer, and 0 combination departments. 5 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. Texas overall averages roughly 34 personnel per department across 1,879 departments. Taylor County averages 28 personnel per department, 18% 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 162,000 fires and 241 fire deaths annually, and 58% 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 Taylor County, TX? ▼
Taylor County, TX has 13 fire departments with available federal data. 1 career, 9 volunteer,
Does Taylor County have EMS coverage? ▼
Yes - 5 departments in Taylor County provide EMS services.
How many firefighters serve Taylor County? ▼
Taylor County has 363 total fire department personnel across 13 departments. The average per department is 28, which is 18% below the Texas average.
Are Taylor County fire departments mostly volunteer? ▼
Yes, 9 of 13 departments (69%) in Taylor County are volunteer.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
Top fire departments in Taylor, TX
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.