BELLINGHAM FIRE DEPARTMENT

What This Data Tells You About BELLINGHAM FIRE DEPARTMENT

BELLINGHAM FIRE DEPARTMENT operates as a Career (Paid) department in Bellingham, within Whatcom County, and the HIFLD and USFA records give a precise structural picture of its response capacity. The department reports 149 total personnel, 8 stations, no truck inventory reported. EMS capability is listed as active, which directly affects how medical calls in the service area are routed and how quickly an advanced life support unit can reach a patient. Department type matters because career, volunteer, and combination organizations carry very different response-time profiles and funding sources.

Benchmarking against the state gives this profile context. Washington has 483 registered fire departments and 17,908 total personnel, averaging roughly 37 staff per department. BELLINGHAM FIRE DEPARTMENT runs 303% above that state average, signalling a larger-than-typical crew likely tied to denser population or higher call volume. The state records about 38,900 fires, 68 fire deaths, and 58% volunteer coverage each year, which shapes training, funding priorities, and mutual-aid patterns felt at every department in the state.

Federal investment further defines this department's trajectory: BELLINGHAM FIRE DEPARTMENT has received 4 FEMA grants totaling $2,194,875 through the AFG and SAFER programs, money typically spent on PPE, SCBA, training, and hiring or retaining career staff. Residents, insurers, and mutual-aid partners use these data points to judge whether coverage is adequate for the built environment, whether ISO ratings are defensible, and where future capital investment should flow. All figures on this page come from the Homeland Infrastructure Foundation-Level Data (HIFLD) public dataset, USFA published statistics, and USAspending.gov, and are presented without editing so the underlying federal record remains transparent and verifiable.