Department profile

Volunteer

South River Fire Department

South River, NJ · Middlesex County. South River Fire Department is a Volunteer department, 2 stations and 90 total personnel. According to the HIFLD fire-station federal registry (as of 2026-09), full equipment, coverage, and staffing data are below.

90
Total personnel
2
Stations
Not reported
Fire trucks
No
EMS service

The verdict

South River Fire Department pairs top-5% national personnel with a headcount more than double the New Jersey average.

Top 5%
national personnel size
+150%
vs. New Jersey average
2
stations

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
89/100
South River 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
45 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
No FEMA AFG grant award on file for this department
90 personnel · 2 stations

South River Fire Department is a Volunteer department serving South River, NJ (Middlesex County), with 2 stations and 90 total personnel. According to HIFLD fire-station registry fields; among listable U.S. departments with reported personnel it ranks #1,181 of 22,440.

  • National personnel rank #1,181 of 22,440
  • NJ personnel rank #39 of 487
  • 2.22 stations per 100 personnel
  • 31 other listed departments in Middlesex County

South River Fire Department vs. the national personnel distribution

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

90 Top 5% higher than 95% 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 12023 · South River Fire Department, NJ 90 personnel · 2 stations

PERS-MID · STA-FEW · TYPE-VOL · EMS-N · RANK-TOP · PHOTO-FINISH · FEMA-NONE · BOOK-FULL

  • PERS-MID 90
  • STA-FEW 2 stations
  • TYPE-VOL Volunteer
  • EMS-N No EMS flag
  • RANK-TOP #1,181
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Western Taney Cou…
  • FEMA-NONE No AFG/SAFER
  • BOOK-FULL 4/5 fields

Nearest personnel peer: Western Taney County Fire Protection District, MO (+ 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 NJ department.

Department Profile

Type
VOLUNTEER
Location
South River, NJ
FDID
12023

Staffing vs the New Jersey average

How South River Fire Department's personnel count compares to the typical department in New Jersey. In-state it ranks #39 of 487 by personnel among listable departments with reported staffing. Nationally it ranks #1,181 of 22,440 on the same basis as the largest-departments ranking.

▲ 150% above the state average
Stations
2
State fire deaths/yr
70
NJ departments
999

County roster fringe

South River Fire Department is 3.7% of Middlesex County roster mass

The county lists 69 departments totaling 2,424 personnel, so this roster is a small slice; 64% of county departments show EMS coverage. County / state rollup.

2.22 stations per 100 HIFLD personnel (2 stations / 90 roster).

Photo-finish peer: Western Taney County Fire Protection District, MO (+0 personnel).

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

Nearby Departments

Carteret Fire Department
Carteret · volunteer
Cheesequake Volunteer Fire Company
Matawan · volunteer
Dunellen Fire Department
Dunellen · volunteer
Edison Division of Fire
Edison · career
Helmetta Volunteer Fire Department
Helmetta · volunteer
All NJ departments →

Nationwide volunteer peers near 90 personnel

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

Western Taney County Fire Protection District, MO 90 Millbrook Fire Department, NY 90 Trevose Fire Company, PA 90 Main Transit Fire Department, NY 90 Evergreen Volunteer Fire and Rescue, VA 90 Ellington Volunteer Fire Department, NY 90 Carroll County Fire Department, MD 90 John H Enders Volunteer Fire Company and Rescue Squad, VA 90

Frequently Asked Questions

How many firefighters does South River Fire Department have?

South River Fire Department has 90 total personnel according to HIFLD data. This is 150% above the New Jersey average of 36 per department. Among listable U.S. departments with reported personnel, it ranks #1,181 of 22,440 by total personnel (same basis as the largest-departments ranking). Within NJ, it ranks #39 of 487 by personnel.

Does South River Fire Department provide EMS services?

South River 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 South River Fire Department operate?

South River Fire Department operates 2 fire stations.

What type of fire department is South River Fire Department?

South River Fire Department is a Volunteer department serving Middlesex County, NJ. Volunteer departments rely on community members who serve without full-time compensation.

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.