Jersey City Fire Department Community Risk Profile | Risk & Response by Arborlook Insights

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.

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 80.3 (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	80.3	Very High	$6.7M/yr	$6.7M/yr
Cold Wave	49.8	Relatively Moderate	$2.9M/yr	$2.9M/yr
Earthquake	66.5	Relatively High	$1.7M/yr	$4.9M/yr
Tornado	39.8	Relatively Low	$1.3M/yr	$2.1M/yr
Strong Wind	56.3	Relatively Moderate	$1.1M/yr	$1.2M/yr

How to read 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 10 FEMA disaster declarations in the last 10 years, and 29 declarations in the last 25 years.

Date	Type	Title
2021-09-05	Hurricane	REMNANTS OF HURRICANE IDA
2021-09-02	Hurricane	REMNANTS OF HURRICANE IDA
2021-08-22	Hurricane	HURRICANE HENRI
2020-03-25	Biological	COVID-19 PANDEMIC
2020-03-20	Biological	COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Demographics & Vulnerability

Why This Matters

Your community's demographics shape everything: from where you need smoke alarm programs to how many of your calls are EMS. The data below identifies who generates the most emergency demand, who faces the greatest barriers during emergencies, and who benefits most from targeted CRR outreach.

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.

Under 5

6.6% (18,953)

Ages 5-17

13.1% (37,645)

Ages 18-64

68.4% (196,291)

Ages 65-74

7.0% (20,092)

Ages 75-84

3.8% (10,904)

Ages 85+

1.0% (2,883)

Your Community

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	7.8%	14.2%	13.4%	1.8x lower
Poverty Rate Economic barrier to safety resources	15.6%	21.2%	12.5%	slightly lower
Uninsured Rate May delay medical care, leading to emergencies	8.5%	10.8%	8.3%	slightly lower
Limited English Households Language barrier to emergency communication	9.1%	12.6%	4.3%	slightly lower
No Vehicle Access Evacuation risk; higher EMS transport dependence	40.4%	25.8%	8.7%	1.6x higher
No Internet Access Disconnected from digital emergency alerts	5.6%	8.3%	6.7%	slightly lower

Economic Context

Median Household Income

$103,957

Peers: $66,695 · National: $89,476

Per Capita Income

$60,357

Peers: $35,760 · National: $44,519

Median Home Value

$592,271

Peers: $316,258 · National: $402,761

Fire Risk Factors

What this means for planning: 72.3% of housing units are renter-occupied. Rental properties often experience higher fire incidence due to transient occupancy and variable maintenance. Partner with landlords on smoke alarm compliance, tenant fire safety education, and rental property inspections.

How to read 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
Pre-1980 Housing Pre-1980 construction standards	56.2%	70.3%	36.3%	slightly lower
Wood Heating Wood stoves and fireplaces as primary heat	0.0%	0.0%	1.4%	3.8x lower
Vacancy Rate Vacant properties at higher fire risk	7.4%	8.5%	10.3%	≈ average
Mobile Homes Structural fire spread risk	0.1%	0.2%	5.8%	3.4x lower
Renter-Occupied Higher turnover, variable maintenance	72.3%	63.0%	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: 40.4% of households lack vehicle access, 4.6x higher the national average. High rates of transport dependence correlate with increased EMS demand. Consider community paramedicine programs, partnerships with social services and Medicaid transport providers, and advocacy for non-emergency medical transport alternatives.