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Risk & Response

Adams County, PA

Community risk profile | NRI Score: 38.1 Relatively Low

106,115
Population
21
Departments
26
Stations
27
Census Tracts

Natural Hazard Loss Profile

Expected annual loss across the 18 natural hazards in FEMA's National Risk Index. Life safety is expressed in fatality-equivalents, combining expected deaths and injuries. Property loss counts building damage only, not agriculture.

Natural Hazard Life Safety
0.31
expected fatality-equivalents per year, natural hazards only
25th highest of 67
Life Safety per 100k
0.29
natural hazard fatality-equivalents per 100,000 residents
43rd highest of 67
Natural Hazard Property Loss
$20.5M
expected building loss per year, natural hazards only
40th highest of 67
Property Loss per Resident
$193
natural hazard building loss per resident per year
61st highest of 67

These figures cover natural hazards only. Structure fire, EMS, and motor vehicle incidents are not in the National Risk Index, so this is not an all-cause life safety measure. For Adams County, the largest single contributor is Inland Flooding, 35% of the life-safety total.

Adams County carries an expected under 1 natural hazard fatality-equivalents and $20.5M in building loss per year. Rank chips compare the 67 Pennsylvania counties. Nationally, Adams County ranks 1481st of 3,222 U.S. counties for life-safety loss, 3011th for life safety per 100k residents, 878th for property loss, and 2825th for property loss per resident. Computed from census tract data covering every resident, independent of fire department boundaries.

Add fire mortality, cause, and loss

Natural hazard exposure is only part of the risk. Fire deaths and injuries, cause of ignition, and dollar loss per incident come from NERIS incident reporting, which grows as departments serving Adams County enroll. Our Regional tier adds that data for the departments your jurisdiction sponsors, next to public risk and NERIS adoption for every department in Adams County.

Talk to us about Adams County See what a department sees

Loss Breakdown

75%
16%
9%
Property (buildings): $20.5M (75.1%)
Life safety: $4.3M (15.7%)
Agriculture: $2.5M (9.2%)

Total expected annual loss: $27,230,964 per year. Life safety is shown here in dollars, at FEMA's $13.7M value of statistical life, so the three shares sum to the total.

Agriculture is 9% of expected annual loss in Adams County, so total loss overstates property loss here. The property figure above counts building loss only.

Hazards Ranked Two Ways

The hazard that threatens people is often not the hazard that destroys buildings. Both columns cover the same 18 hazards over the same year.

By life-safety loss ($/yr)

Inland Flooding
$1.5M
Heat Wave
$879K
Strong Wind
$554K
Cold Wave
$334K
Lightning
$280K
Tornado
$239K

By property loss ($/yr)

Inland Flooding
$15.6M
Hurricane
$2.5M
Tornado
$878K
Earthquake
$763K
Strong Wind
$475K
Hail
$79K

Census Tract Risk Map

Shaded by quintile across the census tracts in Adams County. Gray tracts have no modeled loss or no resident population. Per-resident figures on this map use the National Risk Index 2020 tract population.

Fire Service Profile

90%
Career: 5% (1)
Combination: 5% (1)
Volunteer: 90% (19)
Residents per Station
4,081
census population per registered station
Stations per 100k
24.5
registered stations per 100,000 residents

Department composition covers the 21 departments registered in NERIS Public for Adams County, PA. Departments that have not registered are not counted. Station coverage divides census population by registered stations; department service areas overlap, so their populations are not summed.

Department Rankings

Fire and EMS departments serving Adams County. Click column headers to sort.

NRI Rating is from FEMA's National Risk Index, which measures community risk across 18 natural hazards using expected annual losses, social vulnerability, and community resilience. Life-Safety Loss uses FEMA's Value of Statistical Life ($13.7M per expected fatality) to estimate annual risk to human life.

Department boundaries and station counts are self-reported through NERIS Public and may not reflect current service areas. Population and Life-Safety Loss reflect each department's full jurisdiction. County-level risk metrics are computed from census tract data and are not affected by boundary accuracy. See full methodology.

Showing 21 departments
Department ▲ Est. Population ▲ Life-Safety Loss ▼ NRI Rating ▲ Stations ▲
Gettysburg Fire Department 64,542 $3.3M Relatively Moderate 2
Fairfield Community Fire Company 26,607 $1.2M Relatively Moderate 2
Irishtown Fire Company, Inc. 32,901 $1.2M Relatively Low 1
United Hook & Ladder Company #33 (Station 1) 32,901 $1.2M Relatively Low 4
United Hook & Ladder Company #33 (Station 2) 32,901 $1.2M Relatively Low 0
Bendersville Community Fire Company 28,498 $1.1M Relatively Moderate 1
Buchanan Valley Fire Department, Inc. 28,498 $1.1M Relatively Moderate 1
Hampton Volunteer Fire Company 21,465 $904.5K Relatively Low 1
Fountaindale Volunteer Fire Department 20,723 $868.2K Relatively Moderate 2
Cashtown Community Fire Department 17,033 $798.1K Relatively Moderate 1
Northern York County Fire Rescue 18,391 $707.8K Relatively Low 2
Pleasant Hill Volunteer Fire Company 17,283 $593.5K Relatively Low 2
Mcsherrystown Steam Fire Engine Company (Part Of Saves) 12,508 $532.9K Relatively Low 0
Midway Volunteer Fire Company #1 12,508 $532.9K Relatively Low 1
Southeastern Adams Volunteer Emergency Services, Inc. 12,508 $532.9K Relatively Low 1
Alpha Fire Company #1 11,878 $323.4K Relatively Low 1
York Springs Fire Company 1 4,603 $211.4K Relatively Moderate 1
Biglerville Hose & Truck Company No 1 3,226 $146.0K Relatively Low 1
Heidlersburg Fire Company 2,833 $114.0K Relatively Moderate 1
South Mountain Restoration Center Fire Department 1,169 $35.8K Relatively Low 0
South Mountain Volunteer Fire Department 1,169 $35.8K Relatively Low 1
No departments match your search.

Risk Snapshot

8.2%
Poverty Rate
21.8%
Age 65+
13.8%
Disability Rate
6.0%
Uninsured
49.5%
Pre-1980 Housing
5.5%
Mobile Homes
6.5%
Vacancy Rate
4.8%
Wood Heat
$84,132
Median HH Income

FEMA Disaster Declarations

3
Last 10 Years
12
Last 25 Years
Flood
Most Frequent

Every department in your region, on one briefing

Our Regional tier gives state fire marshals and county fire authorities one briefing across every department in the jurisdiction: priority tracts ranked by risk and demand, NERIS adoption by county, and a quarterly report with a page per department. Response times appear for the departments you sponsor. Free 90-day pilot.

Explore the Regional Tier See the Response Demo