Department profile

Volunteer

Benson Fire Department

Benson, NC · Johnston County. Benson Fire Department is a Volunteer department, 1 station and 36 total personnel. According to the HIFLD fire-station federal registry (as of 2026-09), full equipment, coverage, and staffing data are below.

36
Total personnel
1
Stations
Not reported
Fire trucks
No
EMS service

The verdict

Benson Fire Department pairs above-median national personnel with a headcount above the North Carolina average.

Top 32%
national personnel size
+38%
vs. North Carolina average
1
station
$1,504,875
FEMA AFG/SAFER awards on record

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.

A
PlainFireData Composite Score
82/100
Benson Fire Department

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 B
36 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 A
$41,802 in AFG grant funding per staff member (national median $11,875, among departments with a grant on file)
36 personnel · 1 station

Benson Fire Department is a Volunteer department serving Benson, NC (Johnston County), with 1 station and 36 total personnel. According to HIFLD fire-station registry fields; among listable U.S. departments with reported personnel it ranks #7,214 of 22,440. Cumulative FEMA AFG/SAFER awards on record: $1,504,875.

  • National personnel rank #7,214 of 22,440
  • NC personnel rank #383 of 932
  • 2.78 stations per 100 personnel
  • 24 other listed departments in Johnston County

Benson Fire Department vs. the national personnel distribution

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

36 Top 32% higher than 68% 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 05103 · Benson Fire Department, NC 36 personnel · 1 station

PERS-SMALL · STA-1 · TYPE-VOL · EMS-N · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · FEMA-MID · BOOK-FULL

  • PERS-SMALL 36
  • STA-1 1 station
  • TYPE-VOL Volunteer
  • EMS-N No EMS flag
  • RANK-UPPER #7,214
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ City of Rincon
  • FEMA-MID $1.5M
  • BOOK-FULL 5/5 fields

Nearest personnel peer: City of Rincon Fire Department, GA (+ 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
MOSTLY VOLUNTEER
Location
Benson, NC
FDID
05103

FEMA Grant History

$1.5M
Cumulative funding (FY2012–2021)
4
Awards
Year Award Amount
2021 EMW-2021-FF-00431 $291,194
2015 EMW2014FF00291 $367,082
2014 EMW2013FR00072 $782,550
2012 EMW2011FH00485 $64,049

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

Staffing vs the North Carolina average

How Benson Fire Department's personnel count compares to the typical department in North Carolina. In-state it ranks #383 of 932 by personnel among listable departments with reported staffing. Nationally it ranks #7,214 of 22,440 on the same basis as the largest-departments ranking.

▲ 38% above the state average
Stations
1
State fire deaths/yr
131
NC departments
1,534

County roster fringe

Benson Fire Department is 5.8% of Johnston County roster mass

The county lists 27 departments totaling 623 personnel, so this roster is a small slice; 7% of county departments show EMS coverage. County / state rollup.

2.78 stations per 100 HIFLD personnel (1 station / 36 roster).

Photo-finish peer: City of Rincon Fire Department, GA (+0 personnel).

Nearby Departments

Brogden Volunteer Fire Department
Smithfield · volunteer
All NC departments →

Nationwide volunteer peers near 36 personnel

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

City of Rincon Fire Department, GA 36 Wellsburg Volunteer Fire Department, WV 36 Seaville Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company, NJ 36 North Logan Fire Department, UT 36 Scribner Volunteer Fire and Rescue, NE 36 Capps-Batavia Fire Department, AR 36 Ishpeming Township Fire Department, MI 36 Green Oak Township Fire Department, MI 36

Frequently Asked Questions

How many firefighters does Benson Fire Department have?

Benson Fire Department has 36 total personnel according to HIFLD data. This is 38% above the North Carolina average of 26 per department. Among listable U.S. departments with reported personnel, it ranks #7,214 of 22,440 by total personnel (same basis as the largest-departments ranking). Within NC, it ranks #383 of 932 by personnel.

Does Benson Fire Department provide EMS services?

Benson Fire Department 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 Benson Fire Department operate?

Benson Fire Department operates 1 fire station.

What type of fire department is Benson Fire Department?

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

Has Benson Fire Department received federal grants?

Yes, Benson Fire Department has received 4 FEMA grants totaling $1,504,875 in cumulative AFG and SAFER awards across FY2012–2021 (sum of all recorded award years, not a single-year figure). The most recent award year in our extract is FY2021.

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.