Fire Cause Determination

This week we will discuss some key points to review with the troops on fire cause determination.

If you have an investigator assigned to your department have him / her give this training or have a local police officer come in an assist you.

* A fire has to have several factors, a fuel that has to be ignited, a form of heat ignition, a source of heat for ignition, and some act or omission that has brought the above together.

* While you are enroute are the conditions what you would expect, are any hydrants blocked or obstructed, are there many people leaving the scene.

* Did the fire grow unusually fast from alarm time?

* Was the color of flame and smoke what you thought it should be?

* Were there indications of forced entry or doors left open?

* Any tools or containers around?

* Obstacles blocking normal means of egress and entry for firefighters?

* Fire alarm systems or sprinklers systems disabled?

* Furnishings not present or not normally.

* Unusual odors?

If any unusual things such as above are noted, please take the following precautions:

Document and report them to an officer.

Do not move or otherwise handle any suspected evidence.

Have photographs and make sketches of where everything is in relation to the overall scene.

As soon after the incident make personal notes of anything unusual that you might have to be responsible for remembering later on.

It is bad enough to have to remember something that happened yesterday, nevermind several years later when it comes to trial!

There are many other numerous factors that you have to remember when determining the cause and origin of the fire, but the paramount thing is to remember that you are bringing things into the incident scene as well as carrying things away from the scene. Minimize your contact and excessive water use.