Rio Grande Volunteer 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 93.8 (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	93.8	Very High	$817K/yr	$817K/yr
River Flood	85.1	Very High	$253K/yr	$4.3M/yr
Lightning	74.2	Relatively High	$71K/yr	$76K/yr
Tornado	47	Relatively Moderate	$50K/yr	$169K/yr
Cold Wave	28.8	Relatively Low	$46K/yr	$51K/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 4 FEMA disaster declarations in the last 10 years, and 10 declarations in the last 25 years.

Date	Type	Title
2020-03-31	Biological	COVID-19 PANDEMIC
2020-03-13	Biological	COVID-19
2019-04-08	Flood	SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDES
2018-04-17	Flood	SEVERE STORMS, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES
2012-08-20	Severe Storm	SEVERE STORMS AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS

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

6.8% (1,110)

Ages 5-17

20.5% (3,336)

Ages 18-64

55.5% (9,040)

Ages 65-74

10.0% (1,628)

Ages 75-84

5.4% (884)

Ages 85+

1.7% (282)

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	18.4%	19.8%	13.4%	≈ average
Poverty Rate Economic barrier to safety resources	18.1%	16.3%	12.5%	≈ average
Uninsured Rate May delay medical care, leading to emergencies	8.7%	6.4%	8.3%	slightly higher
Limited English Households Language barrier to emergency communication	0.0%	0.7%	4.3%	Infx lower
No Vehicle Access Evacuation risk; higher EMS transport dependence	8.2%	6.4%	8.7%	slightly higher
No Internet Access Disconnected from digital emergency alerts	17.1%	11.4%	6.7%	slightly higher

Economic Context

Median Household Income

$52,186

Peers: $63,480 · National: $89,476

Per Capita Income

$27,809

Peers: $32,120 · National: $44,519

Median Home Value

$148,019

Peers: $178,301 · National: $402,761

Fire Risk Factors

What this means for planning: 14.9% of housing units are vacant, slightly higher the national average. Vacant properties have elevated fire risk due to lack of maintenance, unauthorized access, and delayed detection. Work with code enforcement on vacant property inspections and securing abandoned structures.

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	43.5%	30.5%	36.3%	slightly higher
Wood Heating Wood stoves and fireplaces as primary heat	11.4%	5.6%	1.4%	2.0x higher
Vacancy Rate Vacant properties at higher fire risk	14.9%	12.7%	10.3%	slightly higher
Mobile Homes Structural fire spread risk	26.5%	17.8%	5.8%	slightly higher
Renter-Occupied Higher turnover, variable maintenance	23.8%	22.9%	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: 18.4% of residents have a disability, slightly higher the national average. Residents with disabilities have higher EMS utilization and may require specialized evacuation assistance, accessible communication during emergencies, and coordination with social services. Consider functional needs assessments in pre-incident planning and partnerships with disability advocacy organizations.