Department profile

VolunteerEMS Provider

Columbus Fire Department

Columbus, NE · Platte County. Columbus Fire Department is a Volunteer department, 2 stations and 89 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.

89
Total personnel
2
Stations
Not reported
Fire trucks
Yes
EMS service

The verdict

Columbus Fire Department pairs top-5% national personnel with a headcount more than double the Nebraska average.

Top 5%
national personnel size
+394%
vs. Nebraska average
2
stations
$65,205
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.

C
PlainFireData Composite Score
49/100
Columbus 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 A
44.5 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 F
$733 in AFG grant funding per staff member (national median $11,875, among departments with a grant on file)
89 personnel · 2 stations

Columbus Fire Department is a Volunteer department serving Columbus, NE (Platte County), with 2 stations and 89 total personnel. According to HIFLD fire-station registry fields; among listable U.S. departments with reported personnel it ranks #1,191 of 22,440. Cumulative FEMA AFG/SAFER awards on record: $65,205.

  • National personnel rank #1,191 of 22,440
  • NE personnel rank #4 of 258
  • 2.25 stations per 100 personnel
  • EMS provider (HIFLD)
  • 6 other listed departments in Platte County

Columbus Fire Department vs. the national personnel distribution

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

89 Top 5% higher than 95% 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 10001 · Columbus Fire Department, NE 89 personnel · 2 stations

PERS-MID · STA-FEW · TYPE-VOL · EMS-Y · RANK-TOP · PHOTO-FINISH · FEMA-LIGHT · BOOK-FULL

  • PERS-MID 89
  • STA-FEW 2 stations
  • TYPE-VOL Volunteer
  • EMS-Y EMS on file
  • RANK-TOP #1,191
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Poquetanuck Volun…
  • FEMA-LIGHT $65K
  • BOOK-FULL 5/5 fields

Nearest personnel peer: Poquetanuck Volunteer Fire Department, CT (+ 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 NE department.

Department Profile

Type
MOSTLY VOLUNTEER
Location
Columbus, NE
FDID
10001

FEMA Grant History

$65K
Cumulative funding (FY2013)
1
Awards
Year Award Amount
2013 EMW2012FH00713 $65,205

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

Staffing vs the Nebraska average

How Columbus Fire Department's personnel count compares to the typical department in Nebraska. In-state it ranks #4 of 258 by personnel among listable departments with reported staffing. Nationally it ranks #1,191 of 22,440 on the same basis as the largest-departments ranking.

▲ 394% above the state average
Stations
2
State fire deaths/yr
26
NE departments
511

County roster weight

Columbus Fire Department carries 55.3% of Platte County HIFLD personnel

Among 7 listed departments (161 personnel), this FDID is the plurality weight, while volunteer departments are 57% of the county count. County / state rollup.

2.25 stations per 100 HIFLD personnel (2 stations / 89 roster).

Photo-finish peer: Poquetanuck Volunteer Fire Department, CT (+0 personnel).

Nearby Departments

Duncan Fire Department
Duncan · volunteer
Humphrey Volunteer Fire and Rescue
Humphrey · volunteer
Platte Center Rural Fire Department
Platte Center · other
All NE departments →

Nationwide volunteer peers near 89 personnel

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

Poquetanuck Volunteer Fire Department, CT 89 Montclair Fire Department, NJ 89 Conneaut Fire Department, OH 89 Hand-IN-Hand Hose Company, PA 89 Lavale Volunteer Fire Department, MD 89 Eastman Fire and Rescue, SC 89 Nunda Fire Department, NY 89 Eden Prairie Fire Department, MN 89

Frequently Asked Questions

How many firefighters does Columbus Fire Department have?

Columbus Fire Department has 89 total personnel according to HIFLD data. This is 394% above the Nebraska average of 18 per department. Among listable U.S. departments with reported personnel, it ranks #1,191 of 22,440 by total personnel (same basis as the largest-departments ranking). Within NE, it ranks #4 of 258 by personnel.

Does Columbus Fire Department provide EMS services?

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

How many fire stations does Columbus Fire Department operate?

Columbus Fire Department operates 2 fire stations.

What type of fire department is Columbus Fire Department?

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

Has Columbus Fire Department received federal grants?

Yes, Columbus Fire Department has received 1 FEMA grant totaling $65,205 in cumulative AFG and SAFER awards across FY2013 (sum of all recorded award years, not a single-year figure). The most recent award year in our extract is FY2013.

How many fire departments are in Nebraska?

Nebraska has 511 fire departments with 9,011 total personnel. 50% 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.