Department profile

Volunteer

Alarka Volunteer Fire Department Incorporated

Bryson City, NC · Swain County. Alarka Volunteer Fire Department Incorporated is a Volunteer department, 1 station and 21 total personnel. According to the HIFLD fire-station federal registry (as of 2026-09), full equipment, coverage, and staffing data are below.

21
Total personnel
1
Stations
Not reported
Fire trucks
No
EMS service

The verdict

Alarka Volunteer Fire Department Incorporated pairs modest national personnel with a headcount below the North Carolina average.

28th pct.
national personnel size
-19%
vs. North Carolina average
1
station

National percentile ranks this department's personnel headcount against every listable U.S. department with reported staffing; the state comparison uses the same personnel figure against its own state's average. Both feed the verdict sentence and the chips above.

C
PlainFireData Composite Score
42/100
Alarka Volunteer Fire Department Incorporated

A staffing, equipment, EMS-integration, and federal-grant-funding composite benchmarked against every other USFA-registered department nationally, not a safety rating, response-time measure, or comparison of fire risk. Dimensions with no data on file are excluded and their weight redistributed, never counted as zero.

Staffing capacity C
21 personnel per station (national median 23.5)
Equipment readiness
No vehicle count on file for this department
EMS integration
Not an EMS-capable department (USFA registry)
Federal investment
No FEMA AFG grant award on file for this department
21 personnel · 1 station

Alarka Volunteer Fire Department Incorporated is a Volunteer department serving Bryson City, NC (Swain County), with 1 station and 21 total personnel. According to HIFLD fire-station registry fields; among listable U.S. departments with reported personnel it ranks #16,090 of 22,440.

  • National personnel rank #16,090 of 22,440
  • NC personnel rank #885 of 932
  • 4.76 stations per 100 personnel
  • 3 other listed departments in Swain County

Alarka Volunteer Fire Department Incorporated vs. the national personnel distribution

Where this department's HIFLD-reported staffing sits among every listable U.S. fire department

21 Top 72% higher than 28% of 22,440 departments

Listable U.S. fire departments, banded by total personnel

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more departments. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source HIFLD fire-station registry · 2026-09-06

Dispatch plate

Sheet 08704 · Alarka Volunteer Fire Department Incorporated, NC 21 personnel · 1 station

PERS-SMALL · STA-1 · TYPE-VOL · EMS-N · RANK-LOWER · PHOTO-FINISH · FEMA-NONE · BOOK-FULL

  • PERS-SMALL 21
  • STA-1 1 station
  • TYPE-VOL Volunteer
  • EMS-N No EMS flag
  • RANK-LOWER #16,090
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Higbee Area Fire…
  • FEMA-NONE No AFG/SAFER
  • BOOK-FULL 4/5 fields

Nearest personnel peer: Higbee Area Fire Protection District, MO (+ 0 personnel)

Volunteer HIFLD roster counts, station rows, EMS flag, listable personnel rank, photo-finish peer, and FEMA AFG/SAFER book for this FDID, not a readiness rating.

Personnel neighbourhood

Nationwide HIFLD headcount poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every NC department.

Department Profile

Type
VOLUNTEER
Location
Bryson City, NC
FDID
08704

FEMA Grant History

$0
Cumulative funding (FY2011)
1
Awards
Year Award Amount
2011 EMW2010FF00592 $-2,795

Source: USAspending.gov (CFDA 97.044 AFG / 97.083 SAFER)

Staffing vs the North Carolina average

How Alarka Volunteer Fire Department Incorporated's personnel count compares to the typical department in North Carolina. In-state it ranks #885 of 932 by personnel among listable departments with reported staffing. Nationally it ranks #16,090 of 22,440 on the same basis as the largest-departments ranking.

▼ 19% below the state average
Stations
1
State fire deaths/yr
131
NC departments
1,534

County roster geometry

Swain County HIFLD mix around Alarka Volunteer Fire Department Incorporated

Swain County: 4 departments, 104 personnel (3 volunteer / 0 career / 0 combination); EMS flag on 25% of departments. County / state rollup.

4.76 stations per 100 HIFLD personnel (1 station / 21 roster).

Photo-finish peer: Higbee Area Fire Protection District, MO (+0 personnel).

Nearby Departments

Bryson City Fire Department
Bryson City · other
West Swain Fire Department
Bryson City · volunteer
All NC departments →

Nationwide volunteer peers near 21 personnel

Photo-finish and same-type HIFLD neighbours for this FDID, not a reprint of every NC department.

Higbee Area Fire Protection District, MO 21 Rocky Ford Police and Fire Department, CO 21 Georgetown Volunteer Fire Department, IN 21 Ivyland Fire Company Incorporated, PA 21 Davenport Fire Protection District, ND 21 Mancos Fire Department / Mancos Ambulance Association, CO 21 Eagle Point Volunteer Fire Department, WI 21 Edgerton-Trimble Fire Protection District, MO 21

Frequently Asked Questions

How many firefighters does Alarka Volunteer Fire Department Incorporated have?

Alarka Volunteer Fire Department Incorporated has 21 total personnel according to HIFLD data. This is 19% below the North Carolina average of 26 per department. Among listable U.S. departments with reported personnel, it ranks #16,090 of 22,440 by total personnel (same basis as the largest-departments ranking). Within NC, it ranks #885 of 932 by personnel.

Does Alarka Volunteer Fire Department Incorporated provide EMS services?

Alarka Volunteer Fire Department Incorporated is not listed as providing EMS in the HIFLD record. Contact local emergency services to confirm which agency covers medical calls.

How many fire stations does Alarka Volunteer Fire Department Incorporated operate?

Alarka Volunteer Fire Department Incorporated operates 1 fire station.

What type of fire department is Alarka Volunteer Fire Department Incorporated?

Alarka Volunteer Fire Department Incorporated is a Volunteer department serving Swain County, NC. Volunteer departments rely on community members who serve without full-time compensation.

Has Alarka Volunteer Fire Department Incorporated received federal grants?

Yes, Alarka Volunteer Fire Department Incorporated has received 1 FEMA grant totaling $-2,795 in cumulative AFG and SAFER awards across FY2011 (sum of all recorded award years, not a single-year figure). The most recent award year in our extract is FY2011.

How many fire departments are in North Carolina?

North Carolina has 1,534 fire departments with 40,350 total personnel. 57% are volunteer departments.

Related guides

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Verify with USFA/FEMA →

HIFLD/USFA registry extract, informational only, not a readiness rating.