Department profile

VolunteerEMS Provider

Shell Lake Fire Department

Shell Lake, WI · Washburn County. Shell Lake 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

Shell Lake Fire Department pairs modest national personnel with a headcount below the Wisconsin average.

32nd pct.
national personnel size
-18%
vs. Wisconsin 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
Shell Lake 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

Shell Lake Fire Department is a Volunteer department serving Shell Lake, WI (Washburn 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 #15,317 of 22,440.

  • National personnel rank #15,317 of 22,440
  • WI personnel rank #594 of 695
  • 4.35 stations per 100 personnel
  • EMS provider (HIFLD)
  • 4 other listed departments in Washburn County

Shell Lake Fire Department vs. the national personnel distribution

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

23 Top 68% higher than 32% 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 65030 · Shell Lake Fire Department, WI 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 #15,317
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Harriet-Rock Cree…
  • FEMA-NONE No AFG/SAFER
  • BOOK-FULL 4/5 fields

Nearest personnel peer: Harriet-Rock Creek-Cosey Home Fire Station, 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 WI department.

Department Profile

Type
VOLUNTEER
Location
Shell Lake, WI
FDID
65030

Staffing vs the Wisconsin average

How Shell Lake Fire Department's personnel count compares to the typical department in Wisconsin. In-state it ranks #594 of 695 by personnel among listable departments with reported staffing. Nationally it ranks #15,317 of 22,440 on the same basis as the largest-departments ranking.

▼ 18% below the state average
Stations
1
State fire deaths/yr
54
WI departments
961

County roster geometry

Washburn County HIFLD mix around Shell Lake Fire Department

Washburn County: 5 departments, 104 personnel (4 volunteer / 0 career / 0 combination); EMS flag on 80% of departments. County / state rollup.

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

Photo-finish peer: Harriet-Rock Creek-Cosey Home Fire Station, AR (+0 personnel).

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

Nearby Departments

Minong Volunteer Fire Department
Minong · volunteer
Spooner Fire District
Spooner · volunteer
All WI departments →

Nationwide volunteer peers near 23 personnel

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

Harriet-Rock Creek-Cosey Home Fire Station, AR 23 Wartburg Volunteer Fire Department, TN 23 New Straitsville Volunteer Fire Department, OH 23 Hyden Volunteer Fire Department, KY 23 North Patoka Township Volunteer Fire Department, IN 23 Gudger Community Volunteer Fire Department, TN 23 Kings Creek Volunteer Fire Department, KY 23 Erie Township Volunteer Fire Department, OH 23

Frequently Asked Questions

How many firefighters does Shell Lake Fire Department have?

Shell Lake Fire Department has 23 total personnel according to HIFLD data. This is 18% below the Wisconsin average of 28 per department. Among listable U.S. departments with reported personnel, it ranks #15,317 of 22,440 by total personnel (same basis as the largest-departments ranking). Within WI, it ranks #594 of 695 by personnel.

Does Shell Lake Fire Department provide EMS services?

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

How many fire stations does Shell Lake Fire Department operate?

Shell Lake Fire Department operates 1 fire station.

What type of fire department is Shell Lake Fire Department?

Shell Lake Fire Department is a Volunteer department serving Washburn County, WI. Volunteer departments rely on community members who serve without full-time compensation.

How many fire departments are in Wisconsin?

Wisconsin has 961 fire departments with 26,974 total personnel. 68% 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.