Career (Paid)

KERN COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT

Bakersfield, CA · Kern County

KERN COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT is a Career (Paid) department serving Bakersfield, CA (Kern County), with 45 stations and 625 total personnel. Full equipment, coverage, and staffing data from HIFLD are below.

625
Total personnel
45
Stations
Fire trucks
EMS service
+1589%
above CA avg personnel
(37/dept)
99th
percentile by size
of 737 CA depts
14
personnel per station
staffing density
None
no FEMA grants on record
AFG / SAFER

Department Profile

Type
MOSTLY CAREER
Location
Bakersfield, CA
FDID
15010

Staffing vs the California average

How KERN COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT's personnel count compares to the typical department in California. It is larger than 99% of the 737 reporting departments statewide.

▲ 1589% above the state average
Stations
45
State fire deaths/yr
346
CA departments
1,309

What This Data Tells You About KERN COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT

KERN COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT operates as a Career (Paid) department in Bakersfield, within Kern County, and the HIFLD and USFA records give a precise structural picture of its response capacity. The department reports 625 total personnel, 45 stations, no truck inventory reported. EMS capability is listed as unspecified, which directly affects how medical calls in the service area are routed and how quickly an advanced life support unit can reach a patient. Department type matters because career, volunteer, and combination organizations carry very different response-time profiles and funding sources.

Benchmarking against the state gives this profile context. California has 1,309 registered fire departments and 48,526 total personnel, averaging roughly 37 staff per department. KERN COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT runs 1589% above that state average, signalling a larger-than-typical crew likely tied to denser population or higher call volume. The state records about 168,000 fires, 346 fire deaths, and 40% 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. Residents, insurers, and mutual-aid partners use these data points to judge whether coverage is adequate for the built environment, whether ISO ratings are defensible, and where future capital investment should flow. All figures on this page come from the Homeland Infrastructure Foundation-Level Data (HIFLD) public dataset, USFA published statistics, and USAspending.gov, and are presented without editing so the underlying federal record remains transparent and verifiable.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many firefighters does KERN COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT have?

KERN COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT has 625 total personnel according to HIFLD data. This is 1589% above the California average of 37 per department.

Does KERN COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT provide EMS services?

EMS capability is not specified for KERN COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT in the HIFLD database.

How many fire stations does KERN COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT operate?

KERN COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT operates 45 fire stations.

What type of fire department is KERN COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT?

KERN COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT is a Career (Paid) department serving Kern County, CA. Career departments employ full-time paid firefighters.

How many fire departments are in California?

California has 1,309 fire departments with 48,526 total personnel. 40% are volunteer departments.

Data from HIFLD Open Data (FEMA/DHS). Not all departments report equally.

Related

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFireData Editorial

Federal data sources

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from FEMA/DHS HIFLD Open Data. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.