| Fire department | City | County | Career firefighters | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Des Moines Fire Department | Des Moines | Polk | 312 | Official site |
| Cedar Rapids Fire Department | Cedar Rapids | Linn | 144 | Official site |
| Davenport Fire Department | Davenport | Scott | 135 | — |
| Sioux City Fire Rescue | Sioux City | Woodbury | 113 | Official site |
| Waterloo Fire Rescue | Waterloo | Black Hawk | 106 | Official site |
| Council Bluffs Fire Department | Council Bluffs | Pottawattamie | 104 | Official site |
| Dubuque Fire Department | Dubuque | Dubuque | 89 | Official site |
| West Des Moines Fire Department | West Des Moines | Polk | 68 | Official site |
| 185th Air Refueling Wing Fire Department | Sioux City | Woodbury | 65 | — |
| Urbandale Fire Department | Urbandale | Polk | 58 | Official site |
| Iowa City Fire Department | Iowa City | Johnson | 56 | Official site |
| Ames Fire Department | Ames | Story | 55 | — |
| Des Moines Airport Fire Department | Des Moines | Polk | 55 | — |
| Burlington Fire Department | Burlington | Des Moines | 48 | Official site |
| Ankeny Fire Department | Ankeny | Polk | 45 | Official site |
| Clinton Fire Department | Clinton | Clinton | 45 | Official site |
| Mason City Fire Department | Mason City | Cerro Gordo | 44 | Official site |
| Muscatine Fire Department | Muscatine | Muscatine | 44 | Official site |
| Marion Fire Department | Marion | Linn | 38 | Official site |
| Fort Dodge Fire Department | Fort Dodge | Webster | 36 | — |
| Ottumwa Fire Department | Ottumwa | Wapello | 32 | Official site |
| Bettendorf Fire Rescue | Bettendorf | Scott | 27 | Official site |
| Marshalltown Fire Department | Marshalltown | Iowa | 27 | — |
| Cedar Falls Fire Rescue | Cedar Falls | Iowa | 26 | Official site |
| Newton Fire Department | Newton | Jasper | 23 | Official site |
| Clive Fire Department | Clive | Polk | 19 | Official site |
| Keokuk Fire Department | Keokuk | Lee | 19 | — |
| Thompson Volunteer Fire Department | Thompson | Winnebago | 18 | — |
| Waukee Fire Department | Waukee | Dallas | 18 | Official site |
| Bondurant Emergency Services | Bondurant | Polk | 16 | Official site |
| Fort Madison Fire Department | Fort Madison | Lee | 16 | — |
| Eastern Iowa Airport Police/ Fire Department | Cedar Rapids | Linn | 13 | Official site |
| Indianola Fire Department | Indianola | Warren | 12 | Official site |
| Johnston Fire Department | Johnston | Polk | 12 | Official site |
| Red Oak Fire Department | Red Oak | Iowa | 10 | — |
| Boone Fire Department | Boone | Boone | 9 | — |
| Altoona Fire Department | Altoona | Polk | 8 | Official site |
| Oskaloosa Fire Department | Oskaloosa | Mahaska | 8 | — |
| Knoxville Fire Department | Knoxville | Marion | 7 | — |
| Windsor Heights Fire Department | Windsor Heights | Polk | 7 | Official site |
| Hiawatha Fire Department | Hiawatha | Linn | 6 | Official site |
| Coralville Fire Department | Coralville | Johnson | 5 | Official site |
| Creston Fire Department | Creston | Union | 5 | Official site |
| Dubuque Regional Airport Fire Department | Dubuque | Dubuque | 5 | — |
| Grinnell Fire Department | Grinnell | Poweshiek | 5 | Official site |
| Spencer Fire Department | Spencer | Clay | 5 | Official site |
| Charles City Fire Department | Charles City | Floyd | 4 | Official site |
| Fairfield Fire Department | Fairfield | Jefferson | 4 | — |
| Grimes Fire and Rescue | Grimes | Polk | 4 | Official site |
| Norwalk Fire Department | Norwalk | Warren | 4 | Official site |
| Washington Volunteer Fire Department | Washington | Washington | 4 | Official site |
| Webster City Fire Department | Webster City | Hamilton | 4 | — |
| Atlantic Fire Department | Atlantic | Iowa | 3 | — |
| Carlisle Fire Department | Carlisle | Warren | 3 | Official site |
| Centerville Fire Department | Centerville | Appanoose | 3 | — |
| Cherokee Fire Department | Cherokee | Cherokee | 3 | Official site |
| Clear Lake Fire Department | Clear Lake | Cerro Gordo | 3 | Official site |
| Decorah Fire Department | Decorah | Winneshiek | 3 | Official site |
| Independence Fire Department | Independence | Buchanan | 3 | — |
| Le Mars Fire-Rescue Department | Le Mars | Iowa | 3 | — |
| Camanche Fire Department | Camanche | Clinton | 2 | — |
| Lewis Township Fire & Rescue | Council Bluffs | Pottawattamie | 2 | Official site |
| Olewein Fire Department | Olewein | Fayette | 2 | — |
| Pleasant Hill Fire Department | Pleasant Hill | Iowa | 2 | Official site |
| Storm Lake Fire Department | Storm Lake | Buena Vista | 2 | Official site |
| Toledo Fire Department | Toledo | Iowa | 2 | — |
| Carroll Fire Department | Carroll | Carroll | 1 | — |
| Carter Lake Iowa Fire Department | Carter Lake | Pottawattamie | 1 | Official site |
| Conrad Volunteer Fire Department | Conrad | Grundy | 1 | — |
| Denison Fire Department | Denison | Crawford | 1 | Official site |
| Glenwood Volunteer Fire Department | Glenwood | Mills | 1 | — |
| Harlan Fire Department | Harlan | Shelby | 1 | Official site |
| Hills Fire Department | Hills | Johnson | 1 | Official site |
| Nevada Public Safety Department | Nevada | Iowa | 1 | Official site |
| North Liberty Fire Department | North Liberty | Johnson | 1 | Official site |
| Polk City Fire Department | Polk City | Polk | 1 | Official site |
| Tiffin Fire Department | Tiffin | Johnson | 1 | Official site |
| West Burlington Fire Department | West Burlington | Des Moines | 1 | Official site |
Largest first by career firefighters, as each employer reports it to its federal registry.
Source: U.S. Fire Administration (FEMA), National Fire Department Registry. Data captured September 30, 2026.