Department profile

VolunteerEMS Provider

Bethel Fire Department

Bethel, AK · Bethel County. Bethel Fire Department is a Volunteer department, 1 station and 32 total personnel. The department also provides EMS services. According to the HIFLD fire-station federal registry (as of 2026-09), full equipment, coverage, and staffing data are below.

32
Total personnel
1
Stations
Not reported
Fire trucks
Yes
EMS service

The verdict

Bethel Fire Department pairs above-median national personnel with a headcount well above the Alaska average.

Top 40%
national personnel size
+88%
vs. Alaska average
1
station
$8,535,389
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
85/100
Bethel 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
32 personnel per station (national median 23.5)
Equipment readiness
No vehicle count on file for this department
EMS integration
No EMS staffing breakdown on file
Federal investment A
$266,731 in AFG grant funding per staff member (national median $11,875, among departments with a grant on file)
32 personnel · 1 station

Bethel Fire Department is a Volunteer department serving Bethel, AK (Bethel County), with 1 station and 32 total personnel. According to HIFLD fire-station registry fields; among listable U.S. departments with reported personnel it ranks #8,963 of 22,440. Cumulative FEMA AFG/SAFER awards on record: $8,535,389.

  • National personnel rank #8,963 of 22,440
  • AK personnel rank #42 of 119
  • 3.13 stations per 100 personnel
  • EMS provider (HIFLD)
  • 25 other listed departments in Bethel County

Bethel Fire Department vs. the national personnel distribution

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

32 Top 40% higher than 60% 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 27100 · Bethel Fire Department, AK 32 personnel · 1 station

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

  • PERS-SMALL 32
  • STA-1 1 station
  • TYPE-VOL Volunteer
  • EMS-Y EMS on file
  • RANK-UPPER #8,963
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Hopedale
  • FEMA-HEAVY $8.5M
  • BOOK-FULL 5/5 fields

Nearest personnel peer: Hopedale Fire Department, MA (+ 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 AK department.

Department Profile

Type
MOSTLY VOLUNTEER
Location
Bethel, AK
FDID
27100

FEMA Grant History

$8.5M
Cumulative funding (FY2009–2010)
2
Awards
Year Award Amount
2010 EMW2009FH01300 $-133,776
2009 EMW-2009-FH-0130 $8,669,165

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

Staffing vs the Alaska average

How Bethel Fire Department's personnel count compares to the typical department in Alaska. In-state it ranks #42 of 119 by personnel among listable departments with reported staffing. Nationally it ranks #8,963 of 22,440 on the same basis as the largest-departments ranking.

▲ 88% above the state average
Stations
1
State fire deaths/yr
18
AK departments
286

County roster geometry

Bethel County HIFLD mix around Bethel Fire Department

Bethel County: 26 departments, 135 personnel (8 volunteer / 0 career / 0 combination); EMS flag on 35% of departments. County / state rollup.

3.13 stations per 100 HIFLD personnel (1 station / 32 roster).

Photo-finish peer: Hopedale Fire Department, MA (+0 personnel).

Nearby Departments

Aniak Volunteer Fire Department
Aniak · volunteer
Chefornak Volunteer Fire Department
Chefornak · volunteer
All AK departments →

Nationwide volunteer peers near 32 personnel

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

Hopedale Fire Department, MA 32 West Hickory Volunteer Fire Department, PA 32 Lincoln Fire Department, NY 32 Matthews Volunteer Fire Department, IN 32 Sidney Volunteer Fire Department, MT 32 Delhi Fire Department, IA 32 Manchester Fire Department and First Responders, IA 32 North Franklin County Volunteer Fire Department, TN 32

Frequently Asked Questions

How many firefighters does Bethel Fire Department have?

Bethel Fire Department has 32 total personnel according to HIFLD data. This is 88% above the Alaska average of 17 per department. Among listable U.S. departments with reported personnel, it ranks #8,963 of 22,440 by total personnel (same basis as the largest-departments ranking). Within AK, it ranks #42 of 119 by personnel.

Does Bethel Fire Department provide EMS services?

Yes, Bethel Fire Department provides Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in addition to fire response.

How many fire stations does Bethel Fire Department operate?

Bethel Fire Department operates 1 fire station.

What type of fire department is Bethel Fire Department?

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

Has Bethel Fire Department received federal grants?

Yes, Bethel Fire Department has received 2 FEMA grants totaling $8,535,389 in cumulative AFG and SAFER awards across FY2009–2010 (sum of all recorded award years, not a single-year figure). The most recent award year in our extract is FY2010.

How many fire departments are in Alaska?

Alaska has 286 fire departments with 4,811 total personnel. 38% 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.