City of Phoenix Fire Dept

One of the busiest fire departments in the nation, the City of Phoenix Fire Department is responsible for a 519.1 square mile area, and the safety or well-being of almost 1.5 million people.

Currently implementing a wide range of key performance indicators, the Fire Department’s methods overlook the impact of their operations on the local economy.

In August 2011, Seidman conducted an exploratory case study, evaluating the economic impact of the Fire Department saving a furniture manufacturer from a major fire.  The case study suggested that up to 203 jobs could have been lost in Arizona if the property had not been saved, and $20 million gross state product (2011 $).

As a result, Seidman subsequently estimated the economic impact of successful fire interventions at 42 commercial establishments over a twelve-month time horizon in Phoenix.  Sponsored by Underwriters Laboratories, the June 1, 2012 – May 31, 2013 assessment exclusively focused on any commercial organization that could have temporarily or permanently lost their production capability and/or operations without the successful intervention of the City of Phoenix Fire Department.

In April 2016, Seidman estimated the economic impact of a successful intervention at the February 2014 Mega Metals fire in Phoenix.  This latest study also takes into account the potential impacts for  four neighboring firms, if the City of Phoenix Fire Department had been unable to successfully intervene.

Project Files:

The Economic Impact of Successful Commercial Fire Interventions (February 2014)

The Economic Impact of the Mega Metals Fire (April 2016)