Department profile

VolunteerEMS Provider

South Boston Fire Department

South Boston, VA · South Boston City County. South Boston Fire Department is a Volunteer department, 1 station and 50 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.

50
Total personnel
1
Stations
Not reported
Fire trucks
Yes
EMS service

The verdict

South Boston Fire Department pairs top-quartile national personnel with a headcount well above the Virginia average.

Top 18%
national personnel size
+52%
vs. Virginia 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.

A
PlainFireData Composite Score
91/100
South Boston 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 A
50 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
50 personnel · 1 station

South Boston Fire Department is a Volunteer department serving South Boston, VA (South Boston City County), with 1 station and 50 total personnel. According to HIFLD fire-station registry fields; among listable U.S. departments with reported personnel it ranks #4,049 of 22,440.

  • National personnel rank #4,049 of 22,440
  • VA personnel rank #115 of 414
  • 2.00 stations per 100 personnel
  • EMS provider (HIFLD)
  • 0 other listed departments in South Boston City County

South Boston Fire Department vs. the national personnel distribution

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

50 Top 18% higher than 82% 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 78000 · South Boston Fire Department, VA 50 personnel · 1 station

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

  • PERS-MID 50
  • STA-1 1 station
  • TYPE-VOL Volunteer
  • EMS-Y EMS on file
  • RANK-UPPER #4,049
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Deep River Volunt…
  • FEMA-NONE No AFG/SAFER
  • BOOK-FULL 4/5 fields

Nearest personnel peer: Deep River Volunteer Fire Department, IA (+ 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 VA department.

Department Profile

Type
MOSTLY VOLUNTEER
Location
South Boston, VA
FDID
78000

Staffing vs the Virginia average

How South Boston Fire Department's personnel count compares to the typical department in Virginia. In-state it ranks #115 of 414 by personnel among listable departments with reported staffing. Nationally it ranks #4,049 of 22,440 on the same basis as the largest-departments ranking.

▲ 52% above the state average
Stations
1
State fire deaths/yr
86
VA departments
766

County roster weight

South Boston Fire Department carries 100.0% of South Boston City County HIFLD personnel

Among 1 listed departments (50 personnel), this FDID is the plurality weight, while volunteer departments are 100% of the county count. County / state rollup.

2.00 stations per 100 HIFLD personnel (1 station / 50 roster).

Photo-finish peer: Deep River Volunteer Fire Department, IA (+0 personnel).

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

Nationwide volunteer peers near 50 personnel

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

Deep River Volunteer Fire Department, IA 50 Early Fire and Rescue, IA 50 Janesville Fire Department, MN 50 Oakdale Fire Department, MN 50 Harlan Township Fire and Rescue, OH 50 Gibsonburg Volunteer Fire and First Responders, OH 50 Salem Township Volunteer Fire Department, OH 50 New Carlisle Fire Department, IN 50

Frequently Asked Questions

How many firefighters does South Boston Fire Department have?

South Boston Fire Department has 50 total personnel according to HIFLD data. This is 52% above the Virginia average of 33 per department. Among listable U.S. departments with reported personnel, it ranks #4,049 of 22,440 by total personnel (same basis as the largest-departments ranking). Within VA, it ranks #115 of 414 by personnel.

Does South Boston Fire Department provide EMS services?

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

How many fire stations does South Boston Fire Department operate?

South Boston Fire Department operates 1 fire station.

What type of fire department is South Boston Fire Department?

South Boston Fire Department is a Volunteer department serving South Boston City County, VA. Volunteer departments rely on community members who serve without full-time compensation.

How many fire departments are in Virginia?

Virginia has 766 fire departments with 25,415 total personnel. 67% 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.