Porterville Fire Department

Service Area Overview

Your department boundary, station locations, and overall NRI risk scores by census tract. Use the sections below to explore specific hazards, fire risk indicators, and EMS demand drivers across your service area.

Download Complete Tract Data (CSV)

Service area, population, and census tract assignments are based on department boundaries from NERIS Public. Boundary accuracy varies by jurisdiction.

Natural Hazard Risk

What this means for planning: With a risk score of 94.7 (Very High nationally), heat wave is your leading natural hazard. Partner with community facilities for cooling centers, develop wellness check protocols for vulnerable populations, and ensure personnel are trained on heat illness recognition and treatment.

Top 5 Hazards in Your Service Area

Sorted by life-safety impact. Life-safety loss uses FEMA’s Value of Statistical Life ($13.7M per fatality or 10 injuries). NRI methodology

Hazard	Risk Score	Rating	Life-Safety Loss $/yr	Total Loss $/yr
Heat Wave TOP LIFE-SAFETY HAZARD	94.7	Very High	$3.2M/yr	$3.9M/yr
Earthquake	82.8	Very High	$879K/yr	$4.0M/yr
Lightning	67	Relatively High	$212K/yr	$217K/yr
Wildfire	59.9	Relatively Moderate	$73K/yr	$737K/yr
River Flood	93.7	Very High	$46K/yr	$26.2M/yr

Historical Disaster Declarations

Your county has experienced 10 FEMA disaster declarations in the last 10 years, and 13 declarations in the last 25 years.

Date	Type	Title
2023-04-03	Severe Storm	SEVERE WINTER STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES
2023-03-10	Flood	SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES
2023-01-14	Flood	SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES
2023-01-09	Flood	SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES
2020-09-13	Fire	SQF FIRE COMPLEX

Demographics & Vulnerability

Age Distribution

Age drives EMS call volume (highest utilization: 65+ and especially 75+, with elevated rates also among children under 5), shapes fire safety education priorities, and determines evacuation assistance needs. The dark marker on each bar shows the national average.

Social Vulnerability Indicators

These indicators identify populations that need additional support during emergencies, face barriers to self-evacuation or medical access, and benefit most from proactive CRR programming.

Vulnerability Factor	Your Community	Peer Average	National Average	vs. Peers
Disability Rate Higher EMS utilization, evacuation assistance needs, accessible communication requirements	12.1%	13.1%	13.4%	≈ average
Poverty Rate Economic barrier to safety resources	19.7%	13.0%	12.5%	1.5x higher
Uninsured Rate May delay medical care, leading to emergencies	7.1%	6.5%	8.3%	≈ average
Limited English Households Language barrier to emergency communication	15.0%	7.2%	4.3%	2.1x higher
No Vehicle Access Evacuation risk; higher EMS transport dependence	6.4%	6.1%	8.7%	≈ average
No Internet Access Disconnected from digital emergency alerts	9.1%	4.0%	6.7%	2.3x higher

Economic Context

Fire Risk Factors

What this means for planning: Focus fire prevention efforts on cooking safety (leading cause of home fires), heating equipment safety, electrical hazards, and smoke alarm installation programs. Target education toward renters and multi-family buildings where fire incidence is typically higher.

Risk Factor	Your Community	Peer Average	National Average	vs. Peers
Pre-1980 Housing Pre-1980 construction standards	50.9%	35.1%	36.3%	slightly higher
Wood Heating Wood stoves and fireplaces as primary heat	1.2%	0.5%	1.4%	2.2x higher
Vacancy Rate Vacant properties at higher fire risk	5.6%	6.5%	10.3%	≈ average
Mobile Homes Structural fire spread risk	8.4%	3.3%	5.8%	2.6x higher
Renter-Occupied Higher turnover, variable maintenance	45.5%	47.2%	34.7%	≈ average

EMS Risk Factors

EMS typically accounts for 60-80% of fire department call volume nationally. The demographics below are the strongest predictors of where that demand comes from in your service area.

What this means for planning: Economic barriers to healthcare access (poverty: 19.7%, uninsured: 7.1%) can lead to delayed treatment and preventable emergencies. Partner with federally qualified health centers and social services to connect vulnerable residents with primary care resources.

Risk Factor	Your Community	Peer Average	National Average	vs. Peers
Population 65+ Highest EMS utilization group	12.3%	15.6%	17.4%	slightly lower
Disability Rate Higher EMS utilization, specialized assistance needs	12.1%	13.1%	13.4%	≈ average
No Vehicle Access Evacuation risk; higher EMS transport dependence	6.4%	6.1%	8.7%	≈ average
Uninsured Rate May delay care, leading to emergencies	7.1%	6.5%	8.3%	≈ average
Poverty Rate Economic barrier to healthcare access	19.7%	13.0%	12.5%	1.5x higher

Peer Comparison

Departments similar to yours in size, type, density class, and region. Peer benchmarks contextualize your community risk profile and support “demonstrated need” narratives in grant applications.

Department	State	Population	Risk Score	65+ %	Poverty %	Stations
Porterville Fire Department (You)	CA	72,107	82.8	12.3%	19.7%	3
Madera City Fire Department	CA	60,792	78	10.5%	24.1%	2
El Centro Fire Department	CA	40,107	94	13.9%	21.1%	5
Olympia Fire Department	WA	53,134	85.9	20.3%	12.7%	4
Lakewood Fire District 2	WA	105,327	72.5	17.3%	11.5%	5