Department profile

VolunteerEMS Provider

Howells Volunteer Fire Department

Howells, NE · Colfax County. Howells Volunteer Fire Department is a Volunteer department, 1 station and 23 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.

23
Total personnel
1
Stations
Not reported
Fire trucks
Yes
EMS service

The verdict

Howells Volunteer Fire Department pairs modest national personnel with a headcount above the Nebraska average.

33rd pct.
national personnel size
+28%
vs. Nebraska average
1
station

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
Howells 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 C
23 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
No FEMA AFG grant award on file for this department
23 personnel · 1 station

Howells Volunteer Fire Department is a Volunteer department serving Howells, NE (Colfax County), with 1 station and 23 total personnel. According to HIFLD fire-station registry fields; among listable U.S. departments with reported personnel it ranks #15,121 of 22,440.

  • National personnel rank #15,121 of 22,440
  • NE personnel rank #190 of 258
  • 4.35 stations per 100 personnel
  • EMS provider (HIFLD)
  • 4 other listed departments in Colfax County

Howells Volunteer Fire Department vs. the national personnel distribution

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

23 Top 67% higher than 33% 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 43002 · Howells Volunteer Fire Department, NE 23 personnel · 1 station

PERS-SMALL · STA-1 · TYPE-VOL · EMS-Y · RANK-LOWER · PHOTO-FINISH · FEMA-NONE · BOOK-FULL

  • PERS-SMALL 23
  • STA-1 1 station
  • TYPE-VOL Volunteer
  • EMS-Y EMS on file
  • RANK-LOWER #15,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ England Volunteer
  • FEMA-NONE No AFG/SAFER
  • BOOK-FULL 4/5 fields

Nearest personnel peer: England Volunteer Fire Department, AR (+ 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
VOLUNTEER
Location
Howells, NE
FDID
43002

Staffing vs the Nebraska average

How Howells Volunteer Fire Department's personnel count compares to the typical department in Nebraska. In-state it ranks #190 of 258 by personnel among listable departments with reported staffing. Nationally it ranks #15,121 of 22,440 on the same basis as the largest-departments ranking.

▲ 28% above the state average
Stations
1
State fire deaths/yr
26
NE departments
511

County roster geometry

Colfax County HIFLD mix around Howells Volunteer Fire Department

Colfax County: 5 departments, 105 personnel (3 volunteer / 0 career / 0 combination); EMS flag on 100% of departments. County / state rollup.

4.35 stations per 100 HIFLD personnel (1 station / 23 roster).

Photo-finish peer: England Volunteer Fire Department, AR (+0 personnel).

No FEMA AFG/SAFER awards on this FDID in USAspending (empty federal book).

Nearby Departments

Clarkson Volunteer Fire Department
Clarkson · volunteer
Leigh Rescue Unit
Leigh · other
Schuyler Volunteer Fire Department
Schuyler · volunteer
All NE departments →

Nationwide volunteer peers near 23 personnel

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

England Volunteer Fire Department, AR 23 Crescent Fire Department, WI 23 Mayo Area Fire District, SC 23 City of Landrum Fire Department, SC 23 Whitmer Volunteer Fire Department, WV 23 Friona Volunteer Fire Department, TX 23 Oconto Fire Department, WI 23 Clermont Volunteer Fire Department, PA 23

Frequently Asked Questions

How many firefighters does Howells Volunteer Fire Department have?

Howells Volunteer Fire Department has 23 total personnel according to HIFLD data. This is 28% above the Nebraska average of 18 per department. Among listable U.S. departments with reported personnel, it ranks #15,121 of 22,440 by total personnel (same basis as the largest-departments ranking). Within NE, it ranks #190 of 258 by personnel.

Does Howells Volunteer Fire Department provide EMS services?

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

How many fire stations does Howells Volunteer Fire Department operate?

Howells Volunteer Fire Department operates 1 fire station.

What type of fire department is Howells Volunteer Fire Department?

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

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.