Atlanta by the Numbers
What metro Atlanta's firefighters actually do, every hour of every day.
Built on public fire-service data, updated automatically as departments report. Every number links to its source.
Data through August 10, 2026Methods and sources
NERIS releases fire department data after a delay, usually 6 to 10 weeks.
A day in metro Atlanta
Metro Atlanta never stops calling.
Each bar is one hour of the day. Its length is the average number of calls in that hour. Red marks the busiest stretch.
A call about every 107 seconds.
About 296,000 calls a year across metro Atlanta.
7 a.m. to 8 a.m.
44.8 calls on average
| Hour | Average calls |
|---|---|
| Midnight to 1 a.m. | 16.2 |
| 1 a.m. to 2 a.m. | 17.7 |
| 2 a.m. to 3 a.m. | 22.7 |
| 3 a.m. to 4 a.m. | 29.1 |
| 4 a.m. to 5 a.m. | 35.4 |
| 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. | 40.7 |
| 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. | 43.8 |
| 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. | 44.8 |
| 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. | 45.5 |
| 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. | 45.9 |
| 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. | 45.6 |
| 11 a.m. to noon | 45.2 |
| Noon to 1 p.m. | 45 |
| 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. | 43.8 |
| 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. | 43.1 |
| 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. | 40 |
| 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. | 37.9 |
| 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. | 34.6 |
| 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. | 29.8 |
| 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. | 26.2 |
| 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. | 22.8 |
| 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. | 20.1 |
| 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. | 17.9 |
| 11 p.m. to midnight | 16.5 |
Source: NERIS Public Incident Basics, U.S. Fire Administration. Calls reported by 19 fire departments in Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, Clayton, and Gwinnett counties, including Atlanta Fire Rescue. Data through August 10, 2026. The most recent weeks are left out while departments finish reporting.See the departments
NERIS releases fire department data after a delay, usually 6 to 10 weeks.
What the job really is
Out of every 100 calls, about 2 are fires.
| Per 100 calls | |
|---|---|
| Medical emergencies | 60 |
| Fires and alarms | 2 |
| Rescues | 1 |
| Other calls | 37 |
Source: NERIS Public Incident Basics, U.S. Fire Administration. Calls reported by 19 fire departments in Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, Clayton, and Gwinnett counties, including Atlanta Fire Rescue. Data through August 10, 2026. The most recent weeks are left out while departments finish reporting.See the departments
NERIS releases fire department data after a delay, usually 6 to 10 weeks.
The hidden cost
The job follows them home.
| Type of call | Value |
|---|---|
| U.S. population | 100 |
| Firefighters, cancer diagnoses | 109 |
| Firefighters, cancer deaths | 114 |
Indexed to the U.S. population = 100. Source: NIOSH study of career firefighters.
Methods and sources
- NERIS Public Incident Basics
- U.S. Fire Administration. Limited to the departments listed below, checked every 6 hours. Departments publish records after reports are completed, so the newest calls can be several weeks behind. Shown as hourly counts.
- Atlanta Fire Rescue quarterly metric reports
- Calls for service by category, used when the live feed is unavailable.
- USFA, NFPA and NIOSH
- National studies behind the cost-of-the-job figures, including the NIOSH study of career firefighters.
- Privacy rule
- Incidents are shown as counts. No addresses, names or reports are stored or displayed.