13-government-services-2013-chapter9

Rates are relatively stable over the 5 years to 2011-12 (table 9A.8, 9A.9). However,
trends in individual jurisdictions’ rates have varied.
Value of asset losses from structure fire
‘Value of asset losses from structure fire’ (box 9.12) is an indicator of the effect of
fire on property. These data are expressed in real terms.
Box 9.12 Value of asset losses from structure fire
‘Value of asset losses from structure fire’ is measured as the estimated monetary value
of the damage to property and contents caused by the fire and fire-fighting operations.
It does not include land value.
Structure fires are those fires in housing and other buildings.
Value of asset losses from structure fire is defined in two ways:
• Median dollar losses from structure fire is the median dollar losses from structure
fire (a fire in a house or other building. The median is the middle number in a
sequence and is regarded as a more appropriate measure of ‘typical’ losses than
the average (or mean) loss.
• Property losses from structure fire per person is defined as the property loss from
structure fire (a fire in housing or other building) per person.
Lower or decreasing dollar losses represent a better outcome.
Data reported for this indicator are not directly comparable.
Data quality information for this indicator is under development.
Value of asset losses need to be interpreted with caution because the data are not
directly comparable across jurisdictions. There are many factors that influence asset
losses including:
• these data have not been adjusted for jurisdictional differences in the costs and
values of various types of building
• the method of valuing property loss from fire varies across jurisdictions.
In addition, the value of asset loss estimates exclude losses from landscape fires,
such as the 2009 Victorian Bushfires and the 2011 Perth Hills fires.
9.34 REPORT ON
GOVERNMENT
SERVICES 2013