Howard County Fire Department

What This Data Tells You About Howard County Fire Department

Howard County Fire Department operates as a Career (Paid) department in Columbia, within Howard County, and the HIFLD and USFA records give a precise structural picture of its response capacity. The department reports 982 total personnel, 11 stations, no truck inventory reported. EMS capability is listed as active.

Benchmarking against the state gives this profile context. Maryland has 379 registered fire departments and 34,910 total personnel, averaging roughly 92 staff per department. Howard County Fire Department runs 967% above that state average, signalling a larger-than-typical crew likely tied to denser population or higher call volume. The state records about 32,800 fires, 67 fire deaths, and 58% volunteer coverage each year, which shapes training, funding priorities, and mutual-aid patterns felt at every department in the state.

No FEMA AFG or SAFER grant awards are recorded against this department's FDID in USAspending data, which is common for smaller or volunteer-heavy organizations that lean on state and local funding instead.