Department profile

Volunteer

San Marcos Pass Volunteer Fire Department

Santa Barbara, CA · Santa Barbara County. San Marcos Pass Volunteer Fire Department is a Volunteer department, 3 stations and 12 total personnel. According to the HIFLD fire-station federal registry (as of 2026-09), full equipment, coverage, and staffing data are below.

12
Total personnel
3
Stations
Not reported
Fire trucks
No
EMS service

The verdict

San Marcos Pass Volunteer Fire Department pairs modest national personnel with a headcount well below the California average.

4th pct.
national personnel size
-68%
vs. California average
3
stations
$691,331
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
43/100
San Marcos Pass 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 F
4 personnel per station (national median 23.5)
Equipment readiness
No vehicle count on file for this department
EMS integration
Not an EMS-capable department (USFA registry)
Federal investment A
$57,611 in AFG grant funding per staff member (national median $11,875, among departments with a grant on file)
12 personnel · 3 stations

San Marcos Pass Volunteer Fire Department is a Volunteer department serving Santa Barbara, CA (Santa Barbara County), with 3 stations and 12 total personnel. According to HIFLD fire-station registry fields; among listable U.S. departments with reported personnel it ranks #21,580 of 22,440. Cumulative FEMA AFG/SAFER awards on record: $691,331.

  • National personnel rank #21,580 of 22,440
  • CA personnel rank #665 of 721
  • 25.00 stations per 100 personnel
  • 13 other listed departments in Santa Barbara County

San Marcos Pass Volunteer Fire Department vs. the national personnel distribution

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

12 Top 96% higher than 4% 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 42065 · San Marcos Pass Volunteer Fire Department, CA 12 personnel · 3 stations

PERS-MICRO · STA-FEW · TYPE-VOL · EMS-N · RANK-LOWER · PHOTO-FINISH · FEMA-MID · BOOK-FULL

  • PERS-MICRO 12
  • STA-FEW 3 stations
  • TYPE-VOL Volunteer
  • EMS-N No EMS flag
  • RANK-LOWER #21,580
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Taborton Voluntee…
  • FEMA-MID $691K
  • BOOK-FULL 5/5 fields

Nearest personnel peer: Taborton Volunteer Fire Company, NY (+ 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 CA department.

Department Profile

Type
VOLUNTEER
Location
Santa Barbara, CA
FDID
42065

FEMA Grant History

$691K
Cumulative funding (FY2020)
1
Awards
Year Award Amount
2020 EMW-2020-FG-12901 $691,330.91

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

Staffing vs the California average

How San Marcos Pass Volunteer Fire Department's personnel count compares to the typical department in California. In-state it ranks #665 of 721 by personnel among listable departments with reported staffing. Nationally it ranks #21,580 of 22,440 on the same basis as the largest-departments ranking.

▼ 68% below the state average
Stations
3
State fire deaths/yr
346
CA departments
1,309

County roster fringe

San Marcos Pass Volunteer Fire Department is 2.0% of Santa Barbara County roster mass

The county lists 19 departments totaling 614 personnel, so this roster is a small slice; 79% of county departments show EMS coverage. County / state rollup.

25.00 stations per 100 HIFLD personnel (3 stations / 12 roster).

Photo-finish peer: Taborton Volunteer Fire Company, NY (+0 personnel).

Nearby Departments

Guadalupe Fire Department
Guadalupe · volunteer
Lompoc Fire Department
Lompoc · career
Montecito Fire Protection District
Santa Barbara · career
Santa Barbara City Fire Department
Santa Barbara · career
All CA departments →

Nationwide volunteer peers near 12 personnel

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

Taborton Volunteer Fire Company, NY 12 Hamlin Township Volunteer Fire Department, PA 12 Iroquois Fire and Rescue District, SD 12 Riverview Fire Department, WI 12 Magnolia Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association, IA 12 North Summit Fire District, UT 12 Orr Volunteer Fire Department, OK 12 Arco Fire Department, MN 12

Frequently Asked Questions

How many firefighters does San Marcos Pass Volunteer Fire Department have?

San Marcos Pass Volunteer Fire Department has 12 total personnel according to HIFLD data. This is 68% below the California average of 37 per department. Among listable U.S. departments with reported personnel, it ranks #21,580 of 22,440 by total personnel (same basis as the largest-departments ranking). Within CA, it ranks #665 of 721 by personnel.

Does San Marcos Pass Volunteer Fire Department provide EMS services?

San Marcos Pass Volunteer Fire Department is not listed as providing EMS in the HIFLD record. Contact local emergency services to confirm which agency covers medical calls.

How many fire stations does San Marcos Pass Volunteer Fire Department operate?

San Marcos Pass Volunteer Fire Department operates 3 fire stations.

What type of fire department is San Marcos Pass Volunteer Fire Department?

San Marcos Pass Volunteer Fire Department is a Volunteer department serving Santa Barbara County, CA. Volunteer departments rely on community members who serve without full-time compensation.

Has San Marcos Pass Volunteer Fire Department received federal grants?

Yes, San Marcos Pass Volunteer Fire Department has received 1 FEMA grant totaling $691,330.91 in cumulative AFG and SAFER awards across FY2020 (sum of all recorded award years, not a single-year figure). The most recent award year in our extract is FY2020.

How many fire departments are in California?

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