Building your Community Risk Assessment?
This profile is the public-data starting point for a Community Risk Assessment (CRA) at Dixie Volunteer Fire Department: who lives in your service area, where vulnerability concentrates, and what hazards the area faces. It works with any CRA framework, whether that is NFPA 1300, the CFAI Standards of Cover, a state model, or your own process. What's here:
- Community profile and risk factors: the Demographics and Fire / EMS Risk sections below.
- Where risk concentrates: toggle any factor map between tract and block-group resolution.
- Hazard profile: Natural Hazards (FEMA NRI) and historical disaster declarations.
What public data can and can't tell you
Most risk frameworks separate how often incidents happen from how severe they are and from what each one demands of your crews. Standards of Cover calls those Probability, Consequence, and Impact.
Public data is strongest on Consequence: who is hardest to protect is mostly a question of population, and the census measures population well. It carries some Probability signal too, since older residents face worse fire outcomes and call EMS more often. What it cannot show is your own call activity: how often calls come, where they cluster, and what each one takes to handle. That comes from your records, which the Response tier measures from your NERIS incident data.
Service Area Overview
Your department boundary, station locations, and population density by census tract: where the people you protect live. Switch to block-group resolution for a finer view, and use the sections below to explore community vulnerability, fire and EMS risk drivers, and natural hazards across your service area.
How to use this map: Darker blue marks denser areas (more residents per square mile). Density shapes where call volume concentrates and how much distance separates residents from your stations.
Service area, population, and census tract assignments are based on department boundaries from NERIS Public. Boundary accuracy varies by jurisdiction.
Demographics & Vulnerability
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year (2020-2024 vintage)
What the Demographics Tell You
Demographics drive both sides of your workload: where you need smoke alarm programs, and how many of your calls are EMS. The data below shows who generates the most emergency demand and who faces the greatest barriers when one happens.
Community Vulnerability
How to use this map: Overall Vulnerability is a CDC SVI-aligned composite (0 to 100; higher = more socially vulnerable, shown red), the Consequence axis of the risk model above, colored on a fixed national scale like the hazard map. Toggle to an individual factor (Poverty Rate, Disability Rate, etc.) and colors switch to a relative scale ranked within your own tracts, so the reddest tracts are always your highest-need ones even if your whole department scores low nationally. Switch to block-group resolution for finer detail.
Community Profile: the four CDC SVI themes
This profile is organized by the four themes of the CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index, the framework most community risk assessments use to describe which residents will need the most help in an emergency. [CDC SVI]
Several factors here reappear in the Fire Risk and EMS Risk sections below, in whichever set the evidence ties them to: fire deaths or EMS demand.
Theme 1: Socioeconomic Status
Income, employment, education, and health-insurance access.
Headline figures from the U.S. Census Bureau ACS; see the table below for the full Theme 1 factor list with sourcing and relevance notes.
| Community Factor | Your Community | Peer AverageiPeer Average. Average across up to 4 peer departments matched on size band, department type, density class, and Census region. Used in the “vs. Peers” column throughout the page. See the methodology page for full criteria. | National Average | vs. Peers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment Rate Share of civilian labor force out of work; associated with higher stress and worse self-reported health (HHS Healthy People 2030) [HHS] |
5.0% | 4.4% | 5.2% | 1.1x higher |
| No High-School Diploma Adults 25+ without a high-school credential; CDC plain-language guidance recommends short sentences and one main idea each to broaden CRR accessibility [CDC] |
7.6% | 15.2% | 10.4% | 2.0x lower |
| Uninsured Rate Residents without health insurance; a barrier to preventive and follow-up care, and a CDC SVI Theme 1 variable [CDC SVI] |
12.6% | 9.5% | 8.4% | 1.3x higher |
Theme 2: Household Characteristics
Age, disability, family structure, and language: who's most likely to need help in an emergency.
Age drives EMS call volume, with the highest utilization among adults 65 and older and elevated rates among children under 5. It also sets fire-safety education priorities and evacuation-assistance needs. The dark marker on each bar shows the national average.
| Community Factor | Your Community | Peer Average | National Average | vs. Peers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Disability Rate Civilians living with a disability; a CDC SVI Theme 2 variable, and residents who may need evacuation assistance [CDC SVI] |
23.3% | 19.5% | 13.3% | 1.2x higher |
| Single-Parent Households Households with children headed by one adult; family structure associated with vulnerability in emergencies, largely via household resources [Census] |
6.0% | 5.7% | 6.1% | ≈ average |
| Limited-English Households Households where no adult speaks English “very well”; informs CRR materials and outreach in other languages [Census] |
0.4% | 1.0% | 4.3% | 2.4x lower |
Theme 3: Racial & Ethnic Minority Status
Community racial and ethnic composition.
| Community Factor | Your Community | Peer Average | National Average | vs. Peers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minority Population Share of residents identifying as a race or ethnicity other than non-Hispanic White [Census] |
27.2% | 26.2% | 42.7% | ≈ average |
Race and ethnicity are shown here because they're part of the CDC SVI and standard in community descriptions. They are deliberately excluded from the Overall Vulnerability composite above, which is built only from need-based factors (age, poverty, disability, housing, and transportation) so it doesn't use a protected characteristic as a risk proxy.
Theme 4: Housing Type & Transportation
Building type, crowding, vehicle access, and congregate living arrangements.
| Community Factor | Your Community | Peer Average | National Average | vs. Peers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Multi-Unit Structures Housing in structures with 10 or more units; a CDC SVI Theme 4 variable where shared egress and alarm systems shape evacuation [CDC SVI] |
4.6% | 2.3% | 14.8% | 2.0x higher |
| Mobile Homes Share of housing units that are mobile homes; a CDC SVI Theme 4 variable [CDC SVI] |
22.0% | 23.4% | 5.5% | ≈ average |
| Crowded Housing Occupied units with more than one occupant per room; a CDC SVI Theme 4 variable [CDC SVI] |
2.6% | 2.2% | 3.4% | 1.2x higher |
| No Vehicle Access Households with no vehicle available; a CDC SVI Theme 4 variable that limits self-evacuation [CDC SVI] |
5.6% | 4.9% | 8.4% | 1.1x higher |
| Group Quarters Residents in nursing homes, assisted living, dorms, or corrections; a CDC SVI Theme 4 variable [CDC SVI] |
1.4% | 2.9% | 2.4% | 2.1x lower |
- 1.4% of residents live in group quarters (nursing homes, assisted living, dorms, corrections), vs 2.4% nationally
- 6.4% are under 5 and 23.7% are school-age (5 to 17), where childcare and schools concentrate
- 6.3% are 75 or older, where assisted-living and nursing demand concentrates
Based on 5-year American Community Survey estimates; these reflect resident populations, not a verified facility inventory. A specific target-hazard list (named schools, hospitals, and care facilities) requires local data beyond public census sources.
Fire Risk Factors
But the most reliable measure of Probability is your own: call frequency and response speed live in your incident records, not in census averages. The Response tier measures Probability and Impact directly from your NERIS data.
What this means for planning: 22.0% of housing units are mobile homes. Manufactured housing burns fast and gives residents little time to get out, and collapse becomes a risk once fire reaches the frame. Focus on smoke alarm installation and escape planning education, and pre-plan the mobile home communities in your district.
How to use this map: Colors show relative risk within your jurisdiction (red = highest-need tracts, green = lowest-need). Check the table below for overall levels vs. peers and national averages.
| Risk Factor | Your Community | Peer Average | National Average | vs. Peers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population 75+ Adults 75 and older carry the highest fire-death rate of any age group and are least able to self-evacuate [USFA] |
6.3% | 6.3% | 7.0% | ≈ average |
| Population Under 5 Children under 5 have the highest fire-death rate among children and are usually too young to escape a fire without help [USFA] |
6.4% | 5.2% | 5.6% | 1.2x higher |
| Poverty Rate Lower-income and higher-deprivation tracts have significantly higher residential fire rates, tied to older housing, overcrowding, and fewer working smoke alarms [Peer-reviewed] |
18.5% | 16.4% | 12.5% | 1.1x higher |
| Disability Rate Physical disability is the second-leading human factor in U.S. residential fire fatalities; mobility-limited residents need targeted evacuation planning [USFA] |
23.3% | 19.5% | 13.3% | 1.2x higher |
| Pre-1980 Housing Older housing predates modern electrical and fire codes and is less likely to have hardwired smoke alarms [Census] |
18.4% | 29.8% | 49.8% | 1.6x lower |
| Vacancy Rate Intentional actions are the leading cause of vacant residential building fires (~34%); 53% spread to involve the entire structure [USFA] |
11.3% | 12.6% | 10.1% | 1.1x lower |
| Mobile Homes CDC/ATSDR SVI Theme 4 (Housing Type and Transportation) vulnerability variable; smaller footprint shortens egress time and limits compartmentation [CDC SVI] |
22.0% | 23.4% | 5.5% | ≈ average |
EMS Risk Factors
EMS calls make up the majority 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: 23.3% of residents have a disability, 1.8x the national average. Residents with disabilities have higher EMS utilization and may require specialized evacuation assistance and accessible communication during emergencies; coordinate with social services. Consider functional needs assessments in pre-incident planning and partnerships with disability advocacy organizations.
How to use this map: Colors show relative risk within your jurisdiction (red = highest-need tracts, green = lowest-need). Check the table below for overall levels vs. peers and national averages.
| Risk Factor | Your Community | Peer Average | National Average | vs. Peers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population 75+ Older adults are consistently the heaviest per-capita users of ambulance transport, driven by falls, cardiac events, and chronic-disease complications. |
6.3% | 6.3% | 7.0% | ≈ average |
| Disability Rate Residents with mobility, sensory, or cognitive disabilities are more likely to need EMS transport and often require additional on-scene assistance time. |
23.3% | 19.5% | 13.3% | 1.2x higher |
| No Vehicle Access Households without a vehicle face documented transportation barriers to medical care, including missed appointments and delayed visits [Peer-reviewed] |
5.6% | 4.9% | 8.4% | 1.1x higher |
| Uninsured Rate Uninsured adults are about three times more likely than continuously insured adults to have an unmet medical need due to cost (CDC NHIS) [CDC] |
12.6% | 9.5% | 8.4% | 1.3x higher |
| Poverty Rate Poverty is correlated with poorer health outcomes and reduced healthcare access; a recognized social determinant of health [HHS] |
18.5% | 16.4% | 12.5% | 1.1x higher |
| Below 150% Poverty Share below 150% of the federal poverty level; CDC PLACES uses this exact threshold to model chronic-disease prevalence [CDC] |
27.7% | 26.9% | 20.2% | ≈ average |
Natural Hazard Risk
What this means for planning: With a risk score of 93.4 (Very High nationally), tornado is your leading natural hazard. Focus on rapid damage assessment and search and rescue in collapsed structures. Coordinate with emergency management on warning systems and community shelter locations.
Top Hazards in Your Service Area
Algorithmic top 5 by life-safety impact, plus regionally critical hazards for MS (shown with their NRI scores as-is, no adjustment). Life-safety loss uses FEMA’s Value of Statistical Life ($13.7M per fatality or 10 injuries); total loss adds FEMA’s building, population, and agriculture loss estimates. NRI methodology · Source: FEMA NRI v1.20 (Mar 2023)
| Hazard | Risk Score | Rating | Life-Safety Loss $/yr |
Total Loss $/yr |
Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tornado TOP LIFE-SAFETY HAZARD | 93.4 | Very High | $947K/yr | $1.2M/yr | NOAA SPC |
| Heat Wave | 79.9 | Relatively High | $271K/yr | $271K/yr | NWS heat safety |
| Strong Wind | 91.4 | Very High | $244K/yr | $281K/yr | NWS wind safety |
| Lightning | 95.4 | Very High | $162K/yr | $174K/yr | NWS lightning safety |
| Cold Wave | 44.8 | Relatively Moderate | $101K/yr | $106K/yr | NWS cold safety |
| Hurricane | 91.2 | Very High | $74K/yr | $1.5M/yr | NOAA NHC |
How to use this map: Colors show absolute national risk levels (red = Very High nationally, green = Very Low nationally). These are objective hazard comparisons across all U.S. communities.
Historical Disaster Declarations
Your county has experienced 13 FEMA disaster declarations in the last 10 years, and 23 declarations in the last 25 years.
5 most recent declarations shown, sourced from OpenFEMA. If your most recent listed declaration is older than expected, that reflects no newer county-level declarations on file, not stale data.
| Date | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-06 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM |
| 2026-01-24 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM |
| 2021-10-22 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IDA |
| 2021-08-28 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IDA |
| 2020-10-28 | Hurricane | HURRICANE ZETA |
CRR Outreach Profile
These factors shape your Community Risk Reduction (CRR) outreach approach (different prevention messaging and communication channels, and a different inspection cadence) without necessarily indicating elevated fire or EMS risk.
How to use this map: The table below gives one department-wide rate per factor; the map shows which tracts drive it, so outreach (mailers, inspections, station open houses) can target where it will do the most good.
| Outreach Factor | Your Community | Peer Average | National Average | vs. Peers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wood Heating Wood and other solid-fuel heating; outreach focus: annual chimney inspection and cleaning, hearth screens, three-foot clearance from anything that can burn [USFA] |
0.3% | 2.5% | 1.3% | 7.4x lower |
| Kerosene / Fuel Oil Heat Liquid-fueled and portable space heaters; outreach focus: three-foot clearance, turn off when leaving the room or going to bed, CO and ventilation awareness [USFA] |
0.0% | 0.7% | 3.8% | None reported |
| Bottled / Tank LP Heat Bottled, tank, or LP gas heating; outreach focus: tank leak checks, regulator and connector inspection, CO alarm placement [Census] |
7.6% | 12.9% | 4.9% | 1.7x lower |
| Renter-Occupied Share occupied by renters; outreach differs from owner messaging: landlord coordination on smoke alarms, tenant-focused checklists, multilingual notices [USFA] |
20.6% | 22.9% | 35.1% | 1.1x lower |
| Overcrowding More than one occupant per room (Census/HUD threshold); shapes outreach where multiple residents share sleeping space and egress paths [HUD] |
2.6% | 2.2% | 3.4% | 1.2x higher |
| No Internet Access Households without home internet may miss web-based emergency alerts, telehealth, and outreach; favor radio, mailers, and door-to-door channels [Census] |
18.4% | 10.2% | 6.5% | 1.8x higher |
Peer Comparison
Departments similar to yours in size, type, density class, and region. Peer benchmarks put your community risk profile in context and support “demonstrated need” narratives in grant applications.
| Department | State | PopulationiPopulation. Tract-based estimate, used here (instead of the block-group-fitted “Est. Population” figure in the summary above) so every department in this table is measured the same way. | Risk ScoreiComposite Risk Score. FEMA NRI’s composite index combining all 18 hazards: Expected Annual Loss × Social Vulnerability ÷ Community Resilience, population-weighted across your tracts. Individual hazards may score higher than the composite; the composite reflects total expected impact across all hazards. This is the same score behind the “NRI Risk Rating” band shown at the top of the page. FEMA methodology. | 65+ % | Multi-Unit % | Stations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dixie Volunteer Fire Department (You) | MS | 13,679 | 71.9 | 16.5% | 4.6% | 1 |
| Bush Fire Department, Inc. | KY | 12,844 | 68.3 | 17.8% | 0.5% | 3 |
| Farmers Volunteer Fire Department | KY | 12,938 | 74 | 18.9% | 1.4% | 2 |
| Tanner Volunteer Fire Department | AL | 14,914 | 78.6 | 16.5% | 1.6% | 2 |
| Red Banks Volunteer Fire Department | MS | 15,436 | 69.3 | 19.1% | 1.2% | 1 |
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New Census or FEMA data for this department, plus occasional Arborlook news (product launches, pilot invitations, deadlines like CFAI 11th Edition): a few emails a year, with a one-click unsubscribe in every one. We store your email together with this department so update notices go to the people who asked for them.
Your Community Risk Profile Is Half the Story
Built from public data, this page describes the community you protect: who lives there, and what hazards they face. How often incidents happen, and how long they tie up your crews, is a question public averages can't answer; that takes your own records. Connect your NERIS feed to add what is specific to your department: where response runs slowest in your highest-risk neighborhoods, whether you're meeting NFPA benchmarks, and how your CRR investments hold up against real demand.
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