| Abstract | Key cost components forming the total cost of fire used in a selection of previous international studies have been identified and compared, with a future focus of revisiting the Canadian context. The potential influence of several factors on the selection and categorization of cost components was considered along with novel contributions to analysis approaches. End-user priorities (e.g. fire service, policy makers or insurance industry) may have an effect on the categorization approach due to specific interests, potential increased ease of access to data and intended applications of results. Selection of inputs may also be influenced by contextual aspects, including considerations of the local region (e.g. demographics, organization of the fire services or extent of insurance coverage) and timing (e.g. recent events, emerging fire safety challenges or trends). The availability, quality or lack of data then influences what estimation methodology may be best suited, as well as the categorization approach. Such examples of influencing factors make direct comparison of cost-of-fire estimates difficult; however, understanding the effects of these factors will contribute to developing an updated analysis that is applicable to the intended context and may include comparability to other studies or components of these, if useful. |
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