Legislation, regulation and security codes but also the activities of the fire department contribute to the reduction of the number of fires and the associated damage. But all these instruments are expensive. The CIRANO was contracted to perform an exploratory economic analysis of the activities of the fire department in Montreal. On-going research shows that the existence of a fire department present considerable potential (in terms of effectiveness and impacts). Thus the CIRANO's research project regroups all the elements necessary to make it possible to adequately structure a future reflection concerning : (1) the justification of certain investments and the sharing of costs associated; (2) public decisions of allowance of the resources for the fire protection organizations; (3) the evaluation of the relevance to set up partnerships (for example : with the insurers or other speakers in emergency management). To conclude, this report proposes a summary examination of the principal options of financing at the disposal of the SSIM, starting from an economic reflection and reality lived in other jurisdictions, overlaid on the analysis cost benefits developed in the preceding chapters.

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