Department profile

VolunteerEMS Provider

Columbus Volunteer Fire Department

Columbus, WI · Columbia County. Columbus Volunteer Fire Department is a Volunteer department, 2 stations and 40 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.

40
Total personnel
2
Stations
Not reported
Fire trucks
Yes
EMS service

The verdict

Columbus Volunteer Fire Department pairs above-median national personnel with a headcount above the Wisconsin average.

Top 27%
national personnel size
+43%
vs. Wisconsin average
2
stations
$170,102
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.

D
PlainFireData Composite Score
27/100
Columbus Volunteer 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 D
20 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
$4,253 in AFG grant funding per staff member (national median $11,875, among departments with a grant on file)
40 personnel · 2 stations

Columbus Volunteer Fire Department is a Volunteer department serving Columbus, WI (Columbia County), with 2 stations and 40 total personnel. According to HIFLD fire-station registry fields; among listable U.S. departments with reported personnel it ranks #5,954 of 22,440. Cumulative FEMA AFG/SAFER awards on record: $170,102.

  • National personnel rank #5,954 of 22,440
  • WI personnel rank #189 of 695
  • 5.00 stations per 100 personnel
  • EMS provider (HIFLD)
  • 13 other listed departments in Columbia County

Columbus Volunteer Fire Department vs. the national personnel distribution

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

40 Top 27% higher than 73% 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 11010 · Columbus Volunteer Fire Department, WI 40 personnel · 2 stations

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

  • PERS-SMALL 40
  • STA-FEW 2 stations
  • TYPE-VOL Volunteer
  • EMS-Y EMS on file
  • RANK-UPPER #5,954
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Palmer Engine and…
  • FEMA-LIGHT $170K
  • BOOK-FULL 5/5 fields

Nearest personnel peer: Palmer Engine and Hose Company, NY (+ 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 WI department.

Department Profile

Type
MOSTLY VOLUNTEER
Location
Columbus, WI
FDID
11010

FEMA Grant History

$170K
Cumulative funding (FY2016)
1
Awards
Year Award Amount
2016 EMW2015FO05488 $170,102

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

Staffing vs the Wisconsin average

How Columbus Volunteer Fire Department's personnel count compares to the typical department in Wisconsin. In-state it ranks #189 of 695 by personnel among listable departments with reported staffing. Nationally it ranks #5,954 of 22,440 on the same basis as the largest-departments ranking.

▲ 43% above the state average
Stations
2
State fire deaths/yr
54
WI departments
961

County roster geometry

Columbia County HIFLD mix around Columbus Volunteer Fire Department

Columbia County: 14 departments, 395 personnel (12 volunteer / 0 career / 0 combination); EMS flag on 57% of departments. County / state rollup.

5.00 stations per 100 HIFLD personnel (2 stations / 40 roster).

Photo-finish peer: Palmer Engine and Hose Company, NY (+0 personnel).

Nearby Departments

Arlington Volunteer Fire Department
Arlington · volunteer
Fall River Volunteer Fire Department
Fall River · volunteer
Friesland Fire Department
Friesland · volunteer
Kilbourn Fire Department
Wisconsin Dells · other
Lodi Area Fire Department
Lodi · volunteer
Pardeeville Fire Department
Pardeeville · volunteer
All WI departments →

Nationwide volunteer peers near 40 personnel

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

Palmer Engine and Hose Company, NY 40 Revloc Volunteer Fire Company, PA 40 Kitzmiller Volunteer Fire Department, MD 40 Portage Volunteer Fire Company, PA 40 Summerhill Borough Fire Department, PA 40 Whately Fire Department, MA 40 Pittsford Fire Department, VT 40 Amwell Valley Fire Company, NJ 40

Frequently Asked Questions

How many firefighters does Columbus Volunteer Fire Department have?

Columbus Volunteer Fire Department has 40 total personnel according to HIFLD data. This is 43% above the Wisconsin average of 28 per department. Among listable U.S. departments with reported personnel, it ranks #5,954 of 22,440 by total personnel (same basis as the largest-departments ranking). Within WI, it ranks #189 of 695 by personnel.

Does Columbus Volunteer Fire Department provide EMS services?

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

How many fire stations does Columbus Volunteer Fire Department operate?

Columbus Volunteer Fire Department operates 2 fire stations.

What type of fire department is Columbus Volunteer Fire Department?

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

Has Columbus Volunteer Fire Department received federal grants?

Yes, Columbus Volunteer Fire Department has received 1 FEMA grant totaling $170,102 in cumulative AFG and SAFER awards across FY2016 (sum of all recorded award years, not a single-year figure). The most recent award year in our extract is FY2016.

How many fire departments are in Wisconsin?

Wisconsin has 961 fire departments with 26,974 total personnel. 68% 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.