FEMAs Fire Department Census Shows Increase In Registrants, Enhancing Information Collection
Release Date: April 26, 2004
Release Number: HQ-04-052a
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today that the National Fire Department Census had 22,250 registered fire departments on April 1, 2004 – approximately 75 percent of U.S. fire departments. This is an increase from two years ago, when only about half of all of the nation’s fire departments had submitted information for the census.
“This national database is used by the fire protection and prevention communities, allied professionals, the general public and the U.S. Fire Administration,” said Michael D. Brown, Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response. “We’re pleased that so many departments have seen the value and submitted information to this database.”
The fire departments registered with the census represent some 41,000 fire stations and more than 1 million personnel, including career, volunteer and paid-per-call firefighters, civilian staff, and non-firefighting volunteers. The departments are located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories. The census is managed by the National Fire Data Center, part of the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA). The census database provides a directory of registered fire departments and includes basic information including address, department type, Web site address and number of stations.
“USFA staff members plan to use the census data to conduct special studies, guide program decisions and improve our communication with fire departments throughout the country,” said U.S. Fire Administrator R. David Paulison. “The census is also a valuable resource for departments and we encourage fire departments to access the census information on the USFA Web site and to register if they have not already done so.”
Census data, including a breakdown of participating departments, can be found at: http://www.usfa.fema.gov/applications/fdonline/
On March 1, 2003, FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. FEMA's continuing mission within the new department is to lead the effort to prepare the nation for all hazards and effectively manage federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates proactive mitigation activities, trains first responders, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration.
Last Modified: Monday, 26-Apr-2004 10:53:09