Cato Volunteer Fire Department

What This Data Tells You About Cato Volunteer Fire Department

Cato Volunteer Fire Department operates as a Volunteer department in Sherwood, within Faulkner County, and the HIFLD and USFA records give a precise structural picture of its response capacity. The department reports unreported personnel, no station count on file, no truck inventory reported. EMS capability is listed as unspecified.

Benchmarking against the state gives this profile context. Arkansas has 1,168 registered fire departments and 15,469 total personnel, averaging roughly 13 staff per department. Direct staffing comparisons are limited where personnel counts are not reported. The state records about 20,100 fires, 68 fire deaths, and 71% 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: Cato Volunteer Fire Department has received 1 FEMA grant totaling $190,000 through the AFG and SAFER programs, money typically spent on PPE, SCBA, training, and hiring or retaining career staff.