Department profile

Volunteer

West Plains Fire and Rescue

West Plains, MO · Howell County. West Plains Fire and Rescue is a Volunteer department, 2 stations and 31 total personnel. According to the HIFLD fire-station federal registry (as of 2026-09), full equipment, coverage, and staffing data are below.

31
Total personnel
2
Stations
Not reported
Fire trucks
No
EMS service

The verdict

West Plains Fire and Rescue pairs above-median national personnel with a headcount well above the Missouri average.

Top 44%
national personnel size
+55%
vs. Missouri average
2
stations
$980,191
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.

C
PlainFireData Composite Score
48/100
West Plains Fire and Rescue

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
15.5 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 B
$31,619 in AFG grant funding per staff member (national median $11,875, among departments with a grant on file)
31 personnel · 2 stations

West Plains Fire and Rescue is a Volunteer department serving West Plains, MO (Howell County), with 2 stations and 31 total personnel. According to HIFLD fire-station registry fields; among listable U.S. departments with reported personnel it ranks #9,796 of 22,440. Cumulative FEMA AFG/SAFER awards on record: $980,191.

  • National personnel rank #9,796 of 22,440
  • MO personnel rank #211 of 659
  • 6.45 stations per 100 personnel
  • 12 other listed departments in Howell County

West Plains Fire and Rescue vs. the national personnel distribution

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

31 Top 44% higher than 56% 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 04601 · West Plains Fire and Rescue, MO 31 personnel · 2 stations

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

  • PERS-SMALL 31
  • STA-FEW 2 stations
  • TYPE-VOL Volunteer
  • EMS-N No EMS flag
  • RANK-MID #9,796
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Vienna Volunteer
  • FEMA-MID $980K
  • BOOK-FULL 5/5 fields

Nearest personnel peer: Vienna Volunteer Fire Department, GA (+ 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 MO department.

Department Profile

Type
MOSTLY VOLUNTEER
Location
West Plains, MO
FDID
04601

FEMA Grant History

$980K
Cumulative funding (FY2015–2017)
2
Awards
Year Award Amount
2017 EMW2016FO06328 $316,667
2015 EMW2014FV02332 $663,524

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

Staffing vs the Missouri average

How West Plains Fire and Rescue's personnel count compares to the typical department in Missouri. In-state it ranks #211 of 659 by personnel among listable departments with reported staffing. Nationally it ranks #9,796 of 22,440 on the same basis as the largest-departments ranking.

▲ 55% above the state average
Stations
2
State fire deaths/yr
95
MO departments
1,128

County roster geometry

Howell County HIFLD mix around West Plains Fire and Rescue

Howell County: 17 departments, 270 personnel (12 volunteer / 0 career / 0 combination); EMS flag on 29% of departments. County / state rollup.

6.45 stations per 100 HIFLD personnel (2 stations / 31 roster).

Photo-finish peer: Vienna Volunteer Fire Department, GA (+0 personnel).

Nearby Departments

Caulfield Fire Department
Caulfield · other
Eleven Point Rural Fire Department
Willow Springs · volunteer
Howell County Rural Fire District
West Plains · volunteer
Lanton Volunteer Fire Department
West Plains · volunteer
Moody Volunteer Fire Department
Moody · volunteer
Mountain View Volunteer Fire Department
Mountain View · volunteer
All MO departments →

Nationwide volunteer peers near 31 personnel

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

Vienna Volunteer Fire Department, GA 31 Clinton Fire Department, MI 31 Anderson County Fire Protection, SC 31 Caddo-Midway Fire and Rescue District, AL 31 Rome Volunteer Fire Department, OH 31 Zip City Volunteer Fire Department, AL 31 Huron Fire Department - North Station, SD 31 Aliquippa Bureau of Fire, PA 31

Frequently Asked Questions

How many firefighters does West Plains Fire and Rescue have?

West Plains Fire and Rescue has 31 total personnel according to HIFLD data. This is 55% above the Missouri average of 20 per department. Among listable U.S. departments with reported personnel, it ranks #9,796 of 22,440 by total personnel (same basis as the largest-departments ranking). Within MO, it ranks #211 of 659 by personnel.

Does West Plains Fire and Rescue provide EMS services?

West Plains Fire and Rescue 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 Plains Fire and Rescue operate?

West Plains Fire and Rescue operates 2 fire stations.

What type of fire department is West Plains Fire and Rescue?

West Plains Fire and Rescue is a Volunteer department serving Howell County, MO. Volunteer departments rely on community members who serve without full-time compensation.

Has West Plains Fire and Rescue received federal grants?

Yes, West Plains Fire and Rescue has received 2 FEMA grants totaling $980,191 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 Missouri?

Missouri has 1,128 fire departments with 22,864 total personnel. 52% 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.