Department profile

Volunteer

West Florence Rural Volunteer Fire Department

Florence, SC · Florence County. West Florence Rural Volunteer Fire Department is a Volunteer department, 3 stations and 21 total personnel. According to the HIFLD fire-station federal registry (as of 2026-09), full equipment, coverage, and staffing data are below.

21
Total personnel
3
Stations
Not reported
Fire trucks
No
EMS service

The verdict

West Florence Rural Volunteer Fire Department pairs modest national personnel with a headcount below the South Carolina average.

26th pct.
national personnel size
-16%
vs. South Carolina average
3
stations
$170,000
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.

D
PlainFireData Composite Score
22/100
West Florence Rural 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
7 personnel per station (national median 23.5)
Equipment readiness C
1.7 vehicles per station (national median 2)
EMS integration
Not an EMS-capable department (USFA registry)
Federal investment
No FEMA AFG grant award on file for this department
21 personnel · 3 stations

West Florence Rural Volunteer Fire Department is a Volunteer department serving Florence, SC (Florence County), with 3 stations and 21 total personnel. According to HIFLD fire-station registry fields; among listable U.S. departments with reported personnel it ranks #16,594 of 22,440. Cumulative FEMA AFG/SAFER awards on record: $170,000.

  • National personnel rank #16,594 of 22,440
  • SC personnel rank #297 of 473
  • 14.29 stations per 100 personnel
  • 12 other listed departments in Florence County

West Florence Rural Volunteer Fire Department vs. the national personnel distribution

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

21 Top 74% higher than 26% 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 21311 · West Florence Rural Volunteer Fire Department, SC 21 personnel · 3 stations

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

  • PERS-SMALL 21
  • STA-FEW 3 stations
  • TYPE-VOL Volunteer
  • EMS-N No EMS flag
  • RANK-LOWER #16,594
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Norfolk
  • FEMA-LIGHT $170K
  • BOOK-FULL 5/5 fields

Nearest personnel peer: Norfolk Fire Department, MA (+ 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 SC department.

Department Profile

Type
MOSTLY VOLUNTEER
Location
Florence, SC
FDID
21311

FEMA Grant History

$0
Cumulative funding (FY2017)
0
Awards
Year Award Amount
2017 EMW2016FO03445 $170,000

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

Staffing vs the South Carolina average

How West Florence Rural Volunteer Fire Department's personnel count compares to the typical department in South Carolina. In-state it ranks #297 of 473 by personnel among listable departments with reported staffing. Nationally it ranks #16,594 of 22,440 on the same basis as the largest-departments ranking.

▼ 16% below the state average
Stations
3
State fire deaths/yr
75
SC departments
689

County roster fringe

West Florence Rural Volunteer Fire Department is 4.6% of Florence County roster mass

The county lists 20 departments totaling 456 personnel, so this roster is a small slice; 30% of county departments show EMS coverage. County / state rollup.

14.29 stations per 100 HIFLD personnel (3 stations / 21 roster).

Photo-finish peer: Norfolk Fire Department, MA (+0 personnel).

Nearby Departments

Howe Springs Fire District
Florence · volunteer
Johnsonville Fire District
Johnsonville · volunteer
Lake City Fire Department
Lake City · volunteer
Olanta Rural Fire Department
Olanta · volunteer
Pamplico Volunteer Fire and Rescue
Pamplico · volunteer
Sardis-Timmonsville Fire Department
Timmonsville · other
All SC departments →

Nationwide volunteer peers near 21 personnel

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

Norfolk Fire Department, MA 21 Alvin Volunteer Fire and Rescue, WI 21 Muir Beach Volunteer Fire Department, CA 21 Shelby Volunteer Fire Department, MT 21 Harrisville Fire and Rescue Department, NH 21 Bristol Fire Department, SD 21 Kiester Volunteer Fire Department, MN 21 Farmer Fire Department, OH 21

Frequently Asked Questions

How many firefighters does West Florence Rural Volunteer Fire Department have?

West Florence Rural Volunteer Fire Department has 21 total personnel according to HIFLD data. This is 16% below the South Carolina average of 25 per department. Among listable U.S. departments with reported personnel, it ranks #16,594 of 22,440 by total personnel (same basis as the largest-departments ranking). Within SC, it ranks #297 of 473 by personnel.

Does West Florence Rural Volunteer Fire Department provide EMS services?

West Florence Rural 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 West Florence Rural Volunteer Fire Department operate?

West Florence Rural Volunteer Fire Department operates 3 fire stations.

What type of fire department is West Florence Rural Volunteer Fire Department?

West Florence Rural Volunteer Fire Department is a Volunteer department serving Florence County, SC. Volunteer departments rely on community members who serve without full-time compensation.

Has West Florence Rural Volunteer Fire Department received federal grants?

Yes, West Florence Rural Volunteer Fire Department has received 1 FEMA grant totaling $170,000 in cumulative AFG and SAFER awards across FY2017 (sum of all recorded award years, not a single-year figure). The most recent award year in our extract is FY2017.

How many fire departments are in South Carolina?

South Carolina has 689 fire departments with 17,475 total personnel. 49% 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.