What is the True Cost of a Residential Fire to Health and Society?

Every week in NSW, fire-related incidents make the news.

• Firefighters have contained a blaze that destroyed a townhouse. Thankfully no one was hurt.
• A home in Smithfield was engulfed in flames, with four residents evacuated by police.
• Five fire trucks and 20 firefighters responded to a major building fire on Ballina Road.

These headlines remind us that fire is not just about lost property — its impact spreads much further. Behind every fire incident lies a chain of economic and societal costs: injured individuals requiring medical care, first responders risking their lives, disrupted utilities, businesses processing insurance claims, and governments facing mounting financial and policy pressures.

Despite this wide-ranging impact, residential fires remain under-researched. While wildfires often draw attention, the burden of fires inside homes has not been studied in detail. My PhD, The Total Economic Cost of Residential Fires, is the first comprehensive study in NSW to examine the true costs of residential fires by developing innovative economic cost models and using linked administrative data.

A Data-Driven Approach

To capture the full picture, I brought together population-level datasets from Fire and Rescue NSW, the health service system (ambulance, emergency, hospital admissions), and the deaths registry. Together, these datasets provide a rare, linked view of what happens when a fire occurs — from the moment responders arrive, to hospital treatment, to the tragic cases of lives lost.

Using this data, I developed several models:

• Micro-Costing Model for Response Agencies

This model estimates the cost of first responder deployment, including personnel time and resources used at each fire scene. It provides critical insights for emergency agencies, helping them prioritise resources, manage budgets, and strengthen preparedness.

• Health Service Utilisation Model

Fires often lead to injuries that require ambulance transport, emergency care, and hospitalisation. By estimating these costs, the model supports decisions about resource allocation within the health system and highlights opportunities for prevention to reduce hospital demand.

• Economic-Cost Model of Lives Lost

Using the Value of Statistical Life (VSL) and Human Capital (HC) approaches, this model quantifies the economic and societal burden of premature deaths caused by residential fires. These findings are vital for shaping public safety campaigns and prevention policies.

Why It Matters

Residential fires affect more than those directly involved. They create costs for individuals and families, emergency services, the health system, insurers, utilities, businesses, and governments. My research highlights the true scope of these costs and provides tools that policymakers and communities can use to prepare for and mitigate future incidents.

This work has already resulted in publications in Fire,¹ Fire Safety Journal,² and BMC Health Services Research.³ A further study, quantifying the societal cost of lives lost, is currently under review in a leading journal.

Looking Ahead

By creating the first comprehensive economic cost models of residential fires in NSW, my PhD offers a framework that can be applied to estimate the impact of any fire incident. More importantly, it demonstrates the value of linked data and cross-sector collaboration in addressing complex public safety challenges.

Supported by Fire and Rescue NSW and the Digital Health CRC, this research is already influencing conversations on preparedness, prevention, and long-term policy planning. Ultimately, the goal is clear: to save lives, reduce costs, and build safer, more resilient communities.

Find out more about Fahmida’s work

¹Economic costs of residential fires: A systematic review

²Economic costs of responders for responding to residential fire incidents in New South Wales, Australia

³Health service utilisation cost associated with residential fire incidents in New South Wales, Australia