Department profile

Volunteer

West Helena Valley Volunteer Fire Department

Helena, MT · Lewis And Clark County. West Helena Valley Volunteer Fire Department is a Volunteer department, 2 stations and 32 total personnel. According to the HIFLD fire-station federal registry (as of 2026-09), full equipment, coverage, and staffing data are below.

32
Total personnel
2
Stations
Not reported
Fire trucks
No
EMS service

The verdict

West Helena Valley Volunteer Fire Department pairs above-median national personnel with a headcount more than double the Montana average.

Top 42%
national personnel size
+113%
vs. Montana average
2
stations
$1,213,348
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
25/100
West Helena Valley 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 D
16 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
32 personnel · 2 stations

West Helena Valley Volunteer Fire Department is a Volunteer department serving Helena, MT (Lewis And Clark County), with 2 stations and 32 total personnel. According to HIFLD fire-station registry fields; among listable U.S. departments with reported personnel it ranks #9,402 of 22,440. Cumulative FEMA AFG/SAFER awards on record: $1,213,348.

  • National personnel rank #9,402 of 22,440
  • MT personnel rank #48 of 227
  • 6.25 stations per 100 personnel
  • 19 other listed departments in Lewis And Clark County

West Helena Valley Volunteer Fire Department vs. the national personnel distribution

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

32 Top 42% higher than 58% 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 05011 · West Helena Valley Volunteer Fire Department, MT 32 personnel · 2 stations

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

  • PERS-SMALL 32
  • STA-FEW 2 stations
  • TYPE-VOL Volunteer
  • EMS-N No EMS flag
  • RANK-MID #9,402
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Glouster
  • FEMA-MID $1.2M
  • BOOK-FULL 5/5 fields

Nearest personnel peer: Glouster Fire Department, OH (+ 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 MT department.

Department Profile

Type
MOSTLY VOLUNTEER
Location
Helena, MT
FDID
05011

FEMA Grant History

$0
Cumulative funding (FY2015–2017)
0
Awards
Year Award Amount
2017 EMW-2017-FH-00349 $804,257.25
2015 EMW2014FV00282 $409,091

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

Staffing vs the Montana average

How West Helena Valley Volunteer Fire Department's personnel count compares to the typical department in Montana. In-state it ranks #48 of 227 by personnel among listable departments with reported staffing. Nationally it ranks #9,402 of 22,440 on the same basis as the largest-departments ranking.

▲ 113% above the state average
Stations
2
State fire deaths/yr
19
MT departments
416

County roster geometry

Lewis And Clark County HIFLD mix around West Helena Valley Volunteer Fire Department

Lewis And Clark County: 25 departments, 287 personnel (13 volunteer / 1 career / 0 combination); EMS flag on 4% of departments. County / state rollup.

6.25 stations per 100 HIFLD personnel (2 stations / 32 roster).

Photo-finish peer: Glouster Fire Department, OH (+0 personnel).

Nearby Departments

Baxendale Rural Fire District
Helena · volunteer
Birdseye Rural Fire Department
Helena · volunteer
Canyon Creek Volunteer Fire District
Canyon Creek · volunteer
Dearborn Volunteer Fire Company
Wolf Creek · volunteer
East Helena Volunteer Fire Department
East Helena · volunteer
All MT departments →

Nationwide volunteer peers near 32 personnel

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

Glouster Fire Department, OH 32 Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Incorporated, OH 32 Bunkie Fire Department, LA 32 Cape May Fire Department, NJ 32 Kimballton City Fire Department, IA 32 Cattaraugus Volunteer Fire District, NY 32 Sylva Volunteer Fire Department, NC 32 Utica Fire Department, MI 32

Frequently Asked Questions

How many firefighters does West Helena Valley Volunteer Fire Department have?

West Helena Valley Volunteer Fire Department has 32 total personnel according to HIFLD data. This is 113% above the Montana average of 15 per department. Among listable U.S. departments with reported personnel, it ranks #9,402 of 22,440 by total personnel (same basis as the largest-departments ranking). Within MT, it ranks #48 of 227 by personnel.

Does West Helena Valley Volunteer Fire Department provide EMS services?

West Helena Valley 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 Helena Valley Volunteer Fire Department operate?

West Helena Valley Volunteer Fire Department operates 2 fire stations.

What type of fire department is West Helena Valley Volunteer Fire Department?

West Helena Valley Volunteer Fire Department is a Volunteer department serving Lewis And Clark County, MT. Volunteer departments rely on community members who serve without full-time compensation.

Has West Helena Valley Volunteer Fire Department received federal grants?

Yes, West Helena Valley Volunteer Fire Department has received 2 FEMA grants totaling $1,213,348.25 in cumulative AFG and SAFER awards across FY2015–2017 (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 Montana?

Montana has 416 fire departments with 6,294 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.