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FIR 4315, Fire Investigation Technician 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit VI

Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

5. Analyze the steps associated with conducting a fire investigation. 5.1 Organize the investigation steps prior to beginning the inspection.

8. Examine the procedures for fire scene documentation.

8.1 Establish a process for organizing the data collected from the scene of the investigation.

Course/Unit Learning Outcomes

Learning Activity

5.1

Unit Lesson Chapter 11, pp. 212–228 Chapter 13, pp. 242–250 Chapter 27, pp. 456–466 Unit VI Scholarly Activity

8.1

Unit Lesson Chapter 11, pp. 212–228 Chapter 13, pp. 242–250 Chapter 27, pp. 456–466 Unit VI Scholarly Activity

Required Unit Resources

Chapter 11: Safety, pp. 212–228

Chapter 13: Planning the Investigation, pp. 242–250

Chapter 27: Management of Complex Investigations, pp. 456–466 Unit Lesson

Introduction

When looking at the process of investigating fires, scene inspection, documentation, and cause and origin all come up in the conversation. What is not discussed, and should be, is the need to conduct the administrative part of fire investigation. When thinking of the administrative part of the investigation, you should consider collecting the necessary basic information, making sure specialists that may be needed are available, and having the process in place to manage the case. This all needs to be done before the first photo is ever taken. It is important to prepare for the investigation prior to arriving on site and to make sure that the right people with the right equipment for the fire that is being investigated are there and ready to go. There also needs to

UNIT VI STUDY GUIDE Administration and Planning

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be a consideration for safety prior to any investigation. Consider the following questions as they pertain to safety:

• Is there a safety plan? • Do each of the investigators have the right

personal protective equipment (PPE) available to them?

• Who is responsible for the overall safety? • How is safety being managed after the fire is

out? The final piece of this unit is the need to understand how to manage a complex investigation. Understanding how to coordinate all of this information into a single investigation will help the investigator be more efficient at the tasks that are at hand.

Planning the Investigation Recognizing what is happening on the scene of the fire that needs to be investigated is the first step in the process of conducting the investigation. Facts that are related to the incident must be gathered. The location of the incident, date, time, and weather conditions at the time of the incident should also be recorded. The description of the structure is also documented: the size of the structure, the use of the structure, the damage done to the structure, how secure the scene was, and the possibility of securing the scene after the investigation. The main question that needs to be answered up front is why was a call made to bring in an investigator for this particular incident. Once all of this information is gathered, then the investigation should be set up based on the investigator’s systematic process. The investigator should work with the first due company officer to determine what was happening when he or she arrived and possibly bring that officer along on the investigation to answer questions about the scene if he or she is available. Before making entry to conduct the investigation, the investigator should make sure that those involved in the investigation understand their roles and what needs to be done next. For a fire investigator, there will be additional basic information used in incident reporting. This will include the person reporting, person requesting the report, description of construction, possible motives related to the fire, and a continued safety plan once the fire has been extinguished. Planning a fire investigation is essential as it may involve additional manpower, such as private fire investigators and engineers for analyzing all aspects of

the fire, fuel sources, and appliances (International Association of Fire Chiefs [IAFC], International Association of Arson Investigators [IAAI], & National Fire Protection Association [NFPA], 2019). It is important to remember that the complexity of the fire scene will determine the number of details that surround the set of circumstances and its documentation.

The other item that the investigator needs to be aware of is the need to manage the case that is part of the fire investigation. The investigation can become complex, involving multiple agencies and various interested parties trying to reach a conclusion together. All of the notes and sketches, not just final diagrams and reports, must be kept organized and available throughout the investigation (IAFC et al., 2019). Once again, it

Investigation process elements

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comes down to the ability to have a systematic approach to what happens during an investigation. The importance of communication between everyone involved in the investigation cannot be stressed enough; without communication, things can occur that may hurt the case down the road. Coordinated planning of each investigation is one of the most important parts of that investigation, whether it involves an entire team of investigators or just one.

Safety

Structures that have been involved in a fire should be approached as possibly having structural integrity issues; this fact cannot be stressed enough. A safe approach with caution in the process must be used. The investigator is responsible for communicating with the incident commander and keeping them advised of what is occurring with the investigation (IAFC et al., 2019). The ultimate responsibility for safety at the fire scene is the incident commander and each individual working on the scene. Safety must be the number one priority of the investigator as he or she approaches the scene. Investigating the fire scene has been discussed throughout this course with reference to cause and origin or evidence collection. There has been very little discussion as to the need to proceed safely when conducting the investigation. The scene is under the incident commander’s control, but the investigator needs to take precautions when he or she brings technical personnel on the scene to handle evidence collection or photographs (IAFC et al., 2019). Technical personnel do not have formal training for fire scene safety like firefighters. When the investigator brings someone on scene, he or she is responsible for the safety of that person throughout the time investigating the fire. This includes making sure that all technical personnel are wearing proper personal protective gear and have the ability to understand how each item is to be used. In addition, the technical personnel needs to understand the inherent risk of breathing toxins on the scene of the fire.

The investigator needs to also be aware that while investigating the fire scene alone, he or she is taking on additional risks and must have a system in place to overcome those risks. The idea of entering a fire scene alone should never cross the mind of an investigator; there should be someone inside with the investigator or the department must know that the investigator is working alone. If when conducting an investigation, there is no other person available, the investigator should have a process in place that requires check-ins and other safety protocols to watch out for the safety of the investigator.

The fire investigator has the responsibility to ensure that all personnel working at the fire scene understand the potential hazards that are associated with both the fire incident and the building (IAFC et al., 2019). This includes firefighters and residents who may enter into hot zones without proper permission and personal protective gear. Items such as power lines and open holes made by the fire should be well identified to prevent injuries associated with the damage from fire exposure. It is the responsibility of the fire investigator to identify these types of hazards by following department policy and posting personnel at these points or by marking the areas with high visibility scene tape or safety cones to clearly identify the hazards. These types of hazards can come in various forms, and the investigator must incorporate his or her situational awareness skills to the potential for additional hazards as the scene develops, including the possibility of secondary explosives, which can cause harm to first responders. Entering the fire scene during active fire suppression efforts have specific hazards. The investigator should be a trained and certified firefighter with knowledge of the mechanics of personal protective gear and how the gear protects the fire investigator from direct exposure (IAFC et al., 2019). The fire investigator must have the capability to recognize hazardous situations while operating under the incident management system. He or she must have a general knowledge of the factors that influence safety at the fire scene including the stability of the building, the stage of the fire, and other potential risk factors resulting from the fire itself.

When identifying a hazard, the fire investigator must provide an effective way to deal with risk factors. These types of hazard factors fall into three categories. The first category is engineering controls, such as shoring or reinforcing a structure to prevent a collapse. The second category is administrative controls that isolate an area through signage, barrier tape, and notification to firefighters. The third category is the usage of personal protective equipment that is deemed necessary for the various environments in which a fire investigator would enter to conduct a fire investigation.

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The fire investigator must also assume that all utilities are still operational until completely shut down by the utility providers. Electrical and natural gas services are the common utilities that are found during field investigations.

When conducting a fire investigation, the fire investigator needs to be prepared with the proper tools and skills as well as some of the basic safety equipment for protection from the identified hazards. He or she also needs to be ready to oversee the safety of the other investigators who come on the scene to assist.

Management of Complex Investigations When investigating a complex incident where there are multiple interested parties, the lead investigator needs to be aware that various parties may have an interest in the information from the investigation. A good example of this would be a high rise building where the owner of the building, the various tenants, and their insurance companies all have an interest in what happened with the incident. The most important task with a complex investigation is to maintain the safety of all of the parties who are on the scene. Remembering that the individuals who show up on the scene most likely will not have any fire suppression training. The priority of the investigation will also be to find the cause and origin, collect and preserve all evidence, and hold the party who caused a chargeable fire responsible.

Conclusion The fire investigator should develop a plan for each investigation before any of the actual fact-gathering begins. The plan should be systematic and should follow a process that is almost automatic for the investigator to follow. He or she is responsible for the investigation team’s safety as the investigation proceeds through to the conclusion. The investigator also needs to communicate with the interested parties even if all of the information cannot be shared at that time.

Reference International Association of Fire Chiefs, International Association of Arson Investigators, & National Fire

Protection Association. (2019). Fire investigator: Principles and practice to NFPA 921 and 1033 (5th ed.). Jones & Bartlett.

Suggested Unit Resources In order to access the following resources, click the links below. This article, which covers the study of firefighter maydays and the risk factors encountered, should assist in

understanding fire scene hazards. Abbott, D. (2016). The Mayday Project: Tracking fire service maydays can improve training and fireground

safety. Firehouse, 41(2), 46–48. https://search-proquest-com.libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/docview/1759023714?accountid=33337

This article outlines the reconstruction of an arson scene and how the technical advisor can assist the investigator.

Chi, J.-H. (2013). Using thermal analysis experiment and fire dynamics simulator (FDS) to reconstruct an

arson fire scene. Journal of Thermal Analysis & Calorimetry, 113(2), 641–648. http://search.ebscohost.com.libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=89025633&site=ehost-live&scope=site

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This article outlines changes in the law in reference to fire safety in Great Britain.

Everton, A. R. (2004). Fire safety law reform: The bill, the framework and the order. Fire Safety Engineering, 11(4), 10–12. https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bcr&AN=13856170&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Learning Activities (Nongraded)

Nongraded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of study. You do not have to submit them. If you have questions, contact your instructor for further guidance and information.

This is an opportunity for you to express your thoughts about the material you are studying by writing about it. Conceptual thinking is a great way to study because it gives you a chance to process what you have learned and increases your ability to remember it.

Before completing your graded work, consider completing the “Case Study” and “On Scene” exercises for Chapters 11, 13, and 27. Completing these exercises will help you with your graded work. The exercises can be found on the following page numbers: Chapter 11: “Case Study,” p. 212 Chapter 11: “On Scene,” p. 228 Chapter 13: “Case Study,” p. 242 Chapter 13: “On Scene,” pp. 249-250 Chapter 27: “Case Study,” p. 456 Chapter 27: “On Scene,” p. 466 If you have any questions or do not understand a concept, contact your professor for clarification.

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