The first paid fire department in the City of Montreal was formed in 1863. Over the years, as the city annexed suburbs, their municipal fire departments were merged into the Montreal Fire Department. In 2002, the remaining 27 municipalities on the Island of Montréal amalgamated to form the new Ville de Montréal. This resulted in the merger of 24 fire departments into the new Service de sécurité incendie de Montréal (SIM). In 2006, many of these cities regained their independence but the fire protection services remained under the agglomeration council.