Department profile

Career (Paid)

Central Fire Protection District of Santa Cruz County

Santa Cruz, CA · Santa Cruz County. Central Fire Protection District of Santa Cruz County is a Career (Paid) department, 4 stations and 176 total personnel. According to the HIFLD fire-station federal registry (as of 2026-09), full equipment, coverage, and staffing data are below.

176
Total personnel
4
Stations
Not reported
Fire trucks
No
EMS service

The verdict

Central Fire Protection District of Santa Cruz County pairs top-1% national personnel with a headcount more than double the California average.

Top 1%
national personnel size
+376%
vs. California average
4
stations
$548,613
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
88/100
Central Fire Protection District of Santa Cruz County

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 A
44 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
176 personnel · 4 stations

Central Fire Protection District of Santa Cruz County is a Career (Paid) department serving Santa Cruz, CA (Santa Cruz County), with 4 stations and 176 total personnel. According to HIFLD fire-station registry fields; among listable U.S. departments with reported personnel it ranks #295 of 22,440. Cumulative FEMA AFG/SAFER awards on record: $548,613.

  • National personnel rank #295 of 22,440
  • CA personnel rank #29 of 721
  • 2.27 stations per 100 personnel
  • 14 other listed departments in Santa Cruz County

Central Fire Protection District of Santa Cruz County vs. the national personnel distribution

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

176 Top 1% higher than 99% 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 44065 · Central Fire Protection District of Santa Cruz County, CA 176 personnel · 4 stations

PERS-MID · STA-FEW · TYPE-CAREER · EMS-N · RANK-TOP · PHOTO-FINISH · FEMA-MID · BOOK-FULL

  • PERS-MID 176
  • STA-FEW 4 stations
  • TYPE-CAREER Career
  • EMS-N No EMS flag
  • RANK-TOP #295
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Kettering
  • FEMA-MID $549K
  • BOOK-FULL 5/5 fields

Nearest personnel peer: Kettering Fire Department, OH (+ 0 personnel)

Career/paid 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 CA department.

Department Profile

Type
MOSTLY PAID
Location
Santa Cruz, CA
FDID
44065

FEMA Grant History

$0
Cumulative funding (FY2011–2018)
0
Awards
Year Award Amount
2018 EMW-2018-FO-05680 $260,710
2011 EMW-2011-FO-0712 $287,903

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

Staffing vs the California average

How Central Fire Protection District of Santa Cruz County's personnel count compares to the typical department in California. In-state it ranks #29 of 721 by personnel among listable departments with reported staffing. Nationally it ranks #295 of 22,440 on the same basis as the largest-departments ranking.

▲ 376% above the state average
Stations
4
State fire deaths/yr
346
CA departments
1,309

County roster weight

Central Fire Protection District of Santa Cruz County carries 30.0% of Santa Cruz County HIFLD personnel

Among 22 listed departments (587 personnel), this FDID is the plurality weight, while volunteer departments are 23% of the county count. County / state rollup.

2.27 stations per 100 HIFLD personnel (4 stations / 176 roster).

Photo-finish peer: Kettering Fire Department, OH (+0 personnel).

Nearby Departments

Ben Lomond Fire Protection District
Ben Lomond · volunteer
Boulder Creek Fire Protection District
Boulder Creek · volunteer
Branciforte Fire District
Santa Cruz · volunteer
Felton Fire Protection District
Felton · volunteer
All CA departments →

Nationwide career peers near 176 personnel

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

Kettering Fire Department, OH 176 Colerain Township Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services, OH 176 Waltham Fire Department, MA 176 Kent Fire Department, WA 176 Biloxi Fire Department, MS 175 Wilmington Fire Department, DE 177 Dothan Fire Department, AL 175 Athens-Clarke County Fire Department, GA 175

Frequently Asked Questions

How many firefighters does Central Fire Protection District of Santa Cruz County have?

Central Fire Protection District of Santa Cruz County has 176 total personnel according to HIFLD data. This is 376% above the California average of 37 per department. Among listable U.S. departments with reported personnel, it ranks #295 of 22,440 by total personnel (same basis as the largest-departments ranking). Within CA, it ranks #29 of 721 by personnel.

Does Central Fire Protection District of Santa Cruz County provide EMS services?

Central Fire Protection District of Santa Cruz County 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 Central Fire Protection District of Santa Cruz County operate?

Central Fire Protection District of Santa Cruz County operates 4 fire stations.

What type of fire department is Central Fire Protection District of Santa Cruz County?

Central Fire Protection District of Santa Cruz County is a Career (Paid) department serving Santa Cruz County, CA. Career departments employ full-time paid firefighters.

Has Central Fire Protection District of Santa Cruz County received federal grants?

Yes, Central Fire Protection District of Santa Cruz County has received 2 FEMA grants totaling $548,613 in cumulative AFG and SAFER awards across FY2011–2018 (sum of all recorded award years, not a single-year figure). The most recent award year in our extract is FY2018.

How many fire departments are in California?

California has 1,309 fire departments with 48,526 total personnel. 40% 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.