Department profile

Career (Paid)EMS Provider

Plainfield Fire Division

Plainfield, NJ · Union County. Plainfield Fire Division is a Career (Paid) department, 3 stations and 102 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.

102
Total personnel
3
Stations
Not reported
Fire trucks
Yes
EMS service

The verdict

Plainfield Fire Division pairs top-5% national personnel with a headcount more than double the New Jersey average.

Top 4%
national personnel size
+183%
vs. New Jersey average
3
stations
$315,000
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
45/100
Plainfield Fire Division

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 B
34 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
$3,088 in AFG grant funding per staff member (national median $11,875, among departments with a grant on file)
102 personnel · 3 stations

Plainfield Fire Division is a Career (Paid) department serving Plainfield, NJ (Union County), with 3 stations and 102 total personnel. According to HIFLD fire-station registry fields; among listable U.S. departments with reported personnel it ranks #897 of 22,440. Cumulative FEMA AFG/SAFER awards on record: $315,000.

  • National personnel rank #897 of 22,440
  • NJ personnel rank #28 of 487
  • 2.94 stations per 100 personnel
  • EMS provider (HIFLD)
  • 22 other listed departments in Union County

Plainfield Fire Division vs. the national personnel distribution

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

102 Top 4% higher than 96% 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 20012 · Plainfield Fire Division, NJ 102 personnel · 3 stations

PERS-MID · STA-FEW · TYPE-CAREER · EMS-Y · RANK-TOP · PHOTO-FINISH · FEMA-LIGHT · BOOK-FULL

  • PERS-MID 102
  • STA-FEW 3 stations
  • TYPE-CAREER Career
  • EMS-Y EMS on file
  • RANK-TOP #897
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Five Points Fire…
  • FEMA-LIGHT $315K
  • BOOK-FULL 5/5 fields

Nearest personnel peer: Five Points Fire Company, DE (+ 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 NJ department.

Department Profile

Type
CAREER
Location
Plainfield, NJ
FDID
20012

FEMA Grant History

$315K
Cumulative funding (FY2011)
1
Awards
Year Award Amount
2011 EMW2011FV01550 $315,000

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

Staffing vs the New Jersey average

How Plainfield Fire Division's personnel count compares to the typical department in New Jersey. In-state it ranks #28 of 487 by personnel among listable departments with reported staffing. Nationally it ranks #897 of 22,440 on the same basis as the largest-departments ranking.

▲ 183% above the state average
Stations
3
State fire deaths/yr
70
NJ departments
999

County roster fringe

Plainfield Fire Division is 7.9% of Union County roster mass

The county lists 33 departments totaling 1,286 personnel, so this roster is a small slice; 82% of county departments show EMS coverage. County / state rollup.

2.94 stations per 100 HIFLD personnel (3 stations / 102 roster).

Photo-finish peer: Five Points Fire Company, DE (+0 personnel).

Nearby Departments

Berkeley Heights Fire Department
Berkeley Heights · volunteer
Clark Volunteer Fire Department
Clark · volunteer
Cranford Fire Department
Cranford · career
Elizabeth Fire Department
Elizabeth · career
Fanwood Fire Department
Fanwood · volunteer
Garwood Fire Department
Garwood · volunteer
Hillside Fire Department
Hillside · career
Kenilworth Fire Department
Kenilworth · volunteer
All NJ departments →

Nationwide career peers near 102 personnel

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

Five Points Fire Company, DE 102 Stonewall Jackson Volunteer Fire Department, VA 102 Fullerton Fire Department, CA 102 Valdosta Fire Department, GA 102 Sterling Heights Fire Department, MI 102 Gresham Fire and Emergency Services, OR 102 Appleton Fire Department, WI 102 City of Alhambra Fire Department, CA 101

Frequently Asked Questions

How many firefighters does Plainfield Fire Division have?

Plainfield Fire Division has 102 total personnel according to HIFLD data. This is 183% above the New Jersey average of 36 per department. Among listable U.S. departments with reported personnel, it ranks #897 of 22,440 by total personnel (same basis as the largest-departments ranking). Within NJ, it ranks #28 of 487 by personnel.

Does Plainfield Fire Division provide EMS services?

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

How many fire stations does Plainfield Fire Division operate?

Plainfield Fire Division operates 3 fire stations.

What type of fire department is Plainfield Fire Division?

Plainfield Fire Division is a Career (Paid) department serving Union County, NJ. Career departments employ full-time paid firefighters.

Has Plainfield Fire Division received federal grants?

Yes, Plainfield Fire Division has received 1 FEMA grant totaling $315,000 in cumulative AFG and SAFER awards across FY2011 (sum of all recorded award years, not a single-year figure). The most recent award year in our extract is FY2011.

How many fire departments are in New Jersey?

New Jersey has 999 fire departments with 35,948 total personnel. 54% 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.