The State has 478 departments with 17,218 firefighters providing vital services to the citizens of Nebraska. This is our complete List of Fire Departments (Updated: 2/23/2024) and any updates to a mailing address, fire chief, assistant fire chief, or training officer can be made using this form. We ask that fire departments bookmark this site to assist us in keeping our information up to date. Here is a listing of Nebraska Fire Fighters showing some additional information on Nebraska fire departments listed below:
Type of Department
- Fire and Rescue - 342
- Fire Only - 136
Number of Firefighters
- Paid - 1,491
- Paid Per Call - 308
- Unpaid - 15,419
Department Classification
- All Paid - 6 (Bellevue, Grand Island, Lincoln, Omaha, and Omaha Airport)
- All Volunteer - 449
- Combination Paid and Volunteer - 23
Number of Fire Stations
- 575
State emergency responders are called out at all hours of the day and night to extinguish fires, respond to vehicle accidents and hazardous material incidents, provide rescue/ambulance services, search for missing people, and perform other services to their community as needed. The State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFM) provides assistance to departments with fire and other incident investigations, training and certification of firefighters, and providing fire prevention/safety classes whenever requested.
Among the many duties of the state’s fire departments is the requirement by law to submit reports to this office on any fires in their jurisdiction (State Statute 81-506). The SFM is participating in the National Fire-Incident Reporting System or Nebraska Fire-Incident Reporting System (NEFIRS) as we call it in Nebraska. All fire reports must be submitted using this system. Since the jobs and responsibilities of the state’s fire departments have become so diversified over the years, we are asking departments to voluntarily report all incidents to us so we will have an overall picture of fire department activity in the state. NEFIRS is a valuable tool for departments. The data provides necessary information for grant applications and is useful to support requests for new equipment and apparatus. If you are not sure whether your department is reporting or not, you can review the Fire Department Reporting History. This shows departments who have reported or let the State Fire Marshal know they had no fires since 1983.
This office also requires the state’s fire departments to issue burn permits in accordance with state law and to review and sign off on public firework display permit applications.