Fire prevention strategies and best practices

¶ … fire investigation. The writer explores some of the challenges that fire investigations face as well as some of the methods used to overcome those challenges. There were four sources used to complete this paper.

Decisions in fire investigations have the power to impact many aspects of life. The decisions in a fire investigation can make the difference between insurance payouts, cause of death issues, and criminal charges or accident charges being filed. The work of fire investigation is complicated, technical and intuition all mixed together to create an ability to determine the cause of a blaze.

Fire investigation can be extremely complicated for several reasons (Walker, 2002). Often times the damage impedes the ability to process evidence. In addition there are sometimes underlying pieces of evidence that have to be pieced together for the purpose of finding a cause of a fire.

There are many steps to be taken in each fire investigation that can piece together the puzzle (CASE Management TECHNIQUES

for MAJOR FIRE LOSSES http://www.interfire.org/features/casemanagement.asp).

While fires are caused by many things under many difference circumstances the basics of fire investigations remain constant.

The Steps

"During the investigative process, there are five logical points for the investigator to take a time out and mentally review the activities completed to date. This pause allows the investigator to ensure that nothing has been forgotten and that the plan is in place to proceed to the next step. The logical "time out for review" points are (Before the Fire: A Checklist by: Cathleen Corbitt http://www.interfire.org/features/beforethefire_checklist.asp):

"Prior to responding to the call

After the preliminary scene assessment, but before the scene is processed

After the scene is processed and before releasing it back to the owner

After the follow-up investigation has been completed

Before trial (Before the Fire: A Checklist by: Cathleen Corbitt http://www.interfire.org/features/beforethefire_checklist.asp)."

Each of these checkpoints is important for the investigator to be sure there is no evidence being overlooked.

Fire investigation includes all of the stakeholders. It is through the inclusion of the stakeholders that the investigator can be sure of catching as much evidence as possible.

"While the details of every scene will be different, the basic approach to the fire investigation should be consistent and follow a pre-determined plan. When there is an established plan and clearly defined roles, it will be simpler to evaluate the available investigative resources and plug them into the protocol (Before the Fire: A Checklist by: Cathleen Corbitt http://www.interfire.org/features/beforethefire_checklist.asp)."

Creating a plan is the basic blueprint of fire investigation.

There are several necessary steps to creating a plan for fire investigation. They include:

"identify and bring together all agencies with an interest in the fire investigation.

Define the mission and the task at hand and build relationships among these entities.

Work as a team to define the roles of all agencies involved in fire response and the duties of the personnel from those agencies.

The team should then define the standard operating procedure for response to the fire call and rehearse this response from 911 call through arrest (Before the Fire: A Checklist by: Cathleen Corbitt http://www.interfire.org/features/beforethefire_checklist.asp)."

Fire investigation sometimes requires nothing more than the training and knowledge of the investigator. At other times it requires the use of outside personnel and sources. A professional and competent fire investigator knows when to call in outside help and is not opposed to doing so for the purpose of solving the mystery of the fire.

Using outside sources in fire investigation might include mental health professionals, law enforcement officials, experts in various fields and forensic teams. Training for fire investigation can be obtained in many ways. People go through professional schools, professional organizations, independent study and community college to obtain knowledge and training in the steps to fire investigation.

"Each investigator should have, at minimum, a "trunk-size" toolkit. In general, include OSHA-approved safety gear, excavation tools, documentation equipment, and evidence collection equipment. Departments may also want to consider a larger response vehicle that can carry more gear or a full truck that includes larger pieces of equipment and a witness interview area (Before the Fire: A Checklist by: Cathleen Corbitt http://www.interfire.org/features/beforethefire_checklist.asp)."

When a call comes in that there is a need for fire investigation the first step is to double check all equipment before leaving for the scene. The second step is to notify all parties who have a part in the investigative process as well as alert possibly needed resources to be on stand by. The fire investigator then approaches the scene while preparing himself or herself mentally and emotionally for the scene. While doing this it is prudent to also review the fire investigation plan and steps that one plans to take during this particular investigation.