Department profile

Career (Paid)EMS Provider

Dawson Fire Department

Dawson, GA · Terrell County. Dawson Fire Department is a Career (Paid) department, 1 station and 16 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.

16
Total personnel
1
Stations
Not reported
Fire trucks
Yes
EMS service

The verdict

Dawson Fire Department pairs modest national personnel with a headcount in line with the Georgia average.

13th pct.
national personnel size
-6%
vs. Georgia average
1
station
$452,381
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
48/100
Dawson 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
16 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 B
$28,274 in AFG grant funding per staff member (national median $11,875, among departments with a grant on file)
16 personnel · 1 station

Dawson Fire Department is a Career (Paid) department serving Dawson, GA (Terrell County), with 1 station and 16 total personnel. According to HIFLD fire-station registry fields; among listable U.S. departments with reported personnel it ranks #19,529 of 22,440. Cumulative FEMA AFG/SAFER awards on record: $452,381.

  • National personnel rank #19,529 of 22,440
  • GA personnel rank #248 of 328
  • 6.25 stations per 100 personnel
  • EMS provider (HIFLD)
  • 4 other listed departments in Terrell County

Dawson Fire Department vs. the national personnel distribution

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

16 Top 87% higher than 13% 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 13502 · Dawson Fire Department, GA 16 personnel · 1 station

PERS-SMALL · STA-1 · TYPE-CAREER · EMS-Y · RANK-LOWER · PHOTO-FINISH · FEMA-LIGHT · BOOK-FULL

  • PERS-SMALL 16
  • STA-1 1 station
  • TYPE-CAREER Career
  • EMS-Y EMS on file
  • RANK-LOWER #19,529
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Town of Mesilla
  • FEMA-LIGHT $452K
  • BOOK-FULL 5/5 fields

Nearest personnel peer: Town of Mesilla Fire Department, NM (+ 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 GA department.

Department Profile

Type
CAREER
Location
Dawson, GA
FDID
13502

FEMA Grant History

$452K
Cumulative funding (FY2023)
1
Awards
Year Award Amount
2023 EMW-2023-FG-07938 $452,380.95

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

Staffing vs the Georgia average

How Dawson Fire Department's personnel count compares to the typical department in Georgia. In-state it ranks #248 of 328 by personnel among listable departments with reported staffing. Nationally it ranks #19,529 of 22,440 on the same basis as the largest-departments ranking.

▼ 6% below the state average
Stations
1
State fire deaths/yr
128
GA departments
868

County roster weight

Dawson Fire Department carries 32.0% of Terrell County HIFLD personnel

Among 5 listed departments (50 personnel), this FDID is the plurality weight, while volunteer departments are 40% of the county count. County / state rollup.

6.25 stations per 100 HIFLD personnel (1 station / 16 roster).

Photo-finish peer: Town of Mesilla Fire Department, NM (+0 personnel).

Nearby Departments

Bronwood Fire Department
Bronwood · volunteer
All GA departments →

Nationwide career peers near 16 personnel

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

Town of Mesilla Fire Department, NM 16 Anthony Creek Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad, WV 16 Calipatria Fire Department, CA 16 Chires-Capitola Volunteer Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services, FL 16 Salem Fire Department, OH 16 Newberry Fire Rescue, FL 16 Sandpoint Fire Department, ID 16 City of Jennings Fire Department, MO 16

Frequently Asked Questions

How many firefighters does Dawson Fire Department have?

Dawson Fire Department has 16 total personnel according to HIFLD data. This is 6% below the Georgia average of 17 per department. Among listable U.S. departments with reported personnel, it ranks #19,529 of 22,440 by total personnel (same basis as the largest-departments ranking). Within GA, it ranks #248 of 328 by personnel.

Does Dawson Fire Department provide EMS services?

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

How many fire stations does Dawson Fire Department operate?

Dawson Fire Department operates 1 fire station.

What type of fire department is Dawson Fire Department?

Dawson Fire Department is a Career (Paid) department serving Terrell County, GA. Career departments employ full-time paid firefighters.

Has Dawson Fire Department received federal grants?

Yes, Dawson Fire Department has received 1 FEMA grant totaling $452,380.95 in cumulative AFG and SAFER awards across FY2023 (sum of all recorded award years, not a single-year figure). The most recent award year in our extract is FY2023.

How many fire departments are in Georgia?

Georgia has 868 fire departments with 14,656 total personnel. 30% 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.