Firefighters' lives are never quite their own. Each day, they fulfil their mission with passion in spite of the risks they face, and they never hesitate to confront danger for the greater good and well-being of the community. The protection of life and property is their raison d’être.

The Service de sécurité incendie de Montréal (SIM) wishes to pay tribute to the firefighters who have lost their lives while serving the Montréal public. In 2013, the SIM inaugurated two new monuments in order to preserve their memory and honour their ultimate sacrifice. A first commemorative plaque was erected a SIM headquarters, and a second was placed at the fire department's Centre de formation Raoul-Gauthier. A total of 129 firefighters have died in the line of duty during some 96 unfortunate events that have occured in Montréal since the mid-19th century.

The plaque includes three panels, each featuring windswept flower petals on which the names of the deceased firefighters are engraved. The petals are also arranged to correspond to the various periods in question. The work was created by A. Desmarais & Sons Inc. Engraving. It is made from acrylic, chosen for its transparent effect, and aluminium.

Monument at the Centre de services financiers des pompiers in commemoration of Québec firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty

The Centre de services financiers des pompiers Desjardins also paid a solemn tribute to all the Québec firefighters who died in the line of duty by inaugurating a monument in their honour. This memorial is the fulfilment of a long-cherished dream for Mr. Gérald Laplante, president of the Association des pompiers retraités de Montréal. In order to help him fulfil it, the Centre de services financiers des pompiers believed in and supported this important project. The culmination of a collective effort, this monument was created by Montréal sculptor-portrait artist Jean-Pierre Busque. Erected at 2600 boulevard Saint-Joseph Est in Montréal, it depicts an emotionally charged scene featuring two firefighters who have just lost a colleague to a fire. Made of poured bronze and measuring close to eight feet in height, the sculpture sits in front of the curtain wall at the Caisse, on which the names and titles of all the Québec firefighters who died in the line of duty are inscribed. This work was inaugurated on May 25, 2013.