| Part detective, scientist, engineer, and law enforcer, the | | | | investigators must follow due process of law in |
| fire investigator represents the collusion of multiple | | | | matters such as collecting evidence, search and |
| careers rolled into one. It is the fire investigator who | | | | seizure, interrogation, and court testimony, police or |
| must explore, determine, and document the origin and | | | | criminal justice training is extremely helpful.How To Get |
| cause of the fire, establish what human actions were | | | | ThereFire investigators may work in either the public or |
| responsible for it, then bring authoritative testimony to | | | | private sector. Typically, those in the public sector are |
| the courtroom to win a conviction in cases of | | | | employed by municipalities, fire or police departments |
| arson."This isn't a job for a lazy man," says Paul | | | | and state and federal agencies. Those working in the |
| Horgan, accelerant detection canine handler and state | | | | private sector may be employed by insurance |
| trooper assigned to the Office of the Massachusetts | | | | companies, attorneys, or private origin and cause firms, |
| State Fire Marshal. "You have to be conscientious and | | | | or organizations such as the National Fire Protection |
| have a mind that likes to figure things out. You really | | | | Association. In some states, the local fire chief has |
| can't take shortcuts. You must take your own | | | | jurisdiction over the fire ground and is ultimately |
| photographs, collect the evidence, do follow up | | | | responsible for determining the origin and cause of a |
| investigations. In instances of incendiary fires, you must | | | | fire, says Robert Corry, fire investigation specialist at |
| find the criminal."Although many people use the terms | | | | American Re-Insurance Company. There are 26,354 |
| "fire investigator" and "arson investigator" | | | | fire departments in the US. The fire chief may have a |
| interchangeably, they are not one and the same, says | | | | fire investigator on staff. However, in some smaller |
| Special Agent Steve Carman, CFI in the Bureau of | | | | communities, it may be the chief himself. Depending on |
| Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) Sacramento | | | | the severity of the case, the fire chief or investigator |
| field office. An arson investigator will try to determine | | | | may call in more experienced county, state or federal |
| who is responsible for setting a fire; a fire investigator | | | | investigators. "A prudent investigator won't attempt to |
| will attempt to determine the cause and origin of a fire. | | | | work alone but will instead use a team approach," |
| Most of the time, fire investigators are also arson | | | | Corry says.The career path for becoming a fire |
| investigators, says Agent Carman, who was an ATF | | | | investigator may be as complex and varied as the job |
| arson investigator for four years prior to becoming a | | | | itself. Fire investigators working in the public sector |
| fire investigator and serving on ATF's Western | | | | typically come up through the ranks, starting out as |
| National Response Team for nine years. "Frequently | | | | employees or volunteers within fire or police |
| arson investigators might be a police officer of ATF | | | | departments, gaining experience in various aspects of |
| agent who doesn't have the background to perform a | | | | fire behavior as well as criminal law, and sometimes in |
| fire investigation - an area that is becoming increasingly | | | | their free time, pursuing formal education and training. |
| grounded in the science and engineering of fire | | | | These fire investigators may work either within a |
| behavior," says Special Agent Carman. The job of fire | | | | municipality, county, or state office. At the national level, |
| investigation is complex, challenging and intriguing - and | | | | the ATF employs approximately 80 certified fire |
| requires a wide range of skills to perform it effectively. | | | | investigators who are generally called in to assist with |
| Every fire investigator has a personal perspective on | | | | local and state investigations of large fire scenes. ATF |
| what skills are needed most."A background in | | | | investigators first serve as ATF special agents, and |
| mechanical, electrical, civil, and even chemical | | | | then are selected to undergo a rigorous two-year |
| engineering plays a big role," says Robert Duval, a | | | | training program in fire investigation. Some undergo |
| senior fire investigator with the National Fire Protection | | | | advanced training in highly specialized aspects of |
| Association. "You are looking at something that was | | | | investigation, such as computer modeling, fire sprinkler |
| destroyed and you have to be able to put it back | | | | systems, and fire growth.Those seeking employment in |
| together again either in your mind or physically to | | | | the private sector may come in from the public sector, |
| determine the origin and cause. Technical training plays | | | | or they may undertake an academic curriculum on fire |
| a role in determining a lot of the factors in terms of fire | | | | science or engineering, such as those offered by the |
| behavior and how it attacked the structure you are | | | | University of New Haven, University of Maryland, |
| looking at, whether it be an appliance, piece of | | | | Oklahoma State, or Worcester Polytechnic Institute. If |
| equipment, or building."This technical aspect of the job | | | | you are in college now, engineering, forensics, and |
| requires knowledge of building construction and | | | | photography courses are all useful. After graduating, |
| materials and the effects of fire upon those materials. | | | | you might look for job openings within insurance or |
| Evidence preservation methods, the effects of fire | | | | investigative firms at the entry level, and then attempt |
| suppression, fire behavior and burn patterns are also | | | | to work your way up. Or you might consider |
| important technical aspects. Search techniques must | | | | volunteering at your local firehouse to gain a foothold in |
| also be learned so that fire cause evidence and ignition | | | | the public sector.Virtually every fire investigator will tell |
| sources are preserved during the investigation.Yet it is | | | | you to become active in as many professional |
| important not to become mired in the technical aspects | | | | organizations as possible. Training is available on the |
| of the investigation at the expense of the human | | | | federal level from ATF, the FBI, and the International |
| component, suggests fire investigator Paul Zipper, who | | | | Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI), and on the |
| works in the Office of the State Fire Marshall in | | | | state level from the state police and Fire Marshal's |
| Massachusetts. "I have made 300 to 400 arrests of | | | | Office, as well as at various local agencies. Trooper |
| people who have set fires. Typically, there's a fight, an | | | | Horgan says investigators in his state usually join |
| incident, and it's the interviewing that will tell you what | | | | professional organizations and then start to go to |
| happened. That's how you solve cases."Consider two | | | | some of the training offered by police departments on |
| separate fires, both originating in a wastebasket under | | | | basic arson investigation, attend the National Fire |
| a sink. In the first, someone emptied an ashtray into the | | | | Academy's two-week training program in Maryland, |
| can, igniting a fire from burning ash. In the second, | | | | and start trying to build up credentials and a resume. |
| someone lit a match and threw it into the trashcan in | | | | Chris Porreca, group supervisor of the Arson |
| hopes of collecting an insurance claim from damages. | | | | Explosives Group for the Boston field division of ATF |
| "Both fires originated in a trash can," says Zipper. "But I | | | | agrees that it requires a high degree of self-motivation |
| challenge anybody to tell me how that fire was | | | | to pursue a career in fire investigation. "We ask |
| started. If you can interview well and learn to read | | | | applicants whether they have worked fire scenes, |
| people, and mix that with diagramming, investigation, | | | | signed up and gone to conferences on the local, state |
| photography, and report writing, you will be a good fire | | | | and national level, and taken the initiative to become a |
| investigator."While not all fire investigators have a law | | | | state certified fire investigator (CFI) to gain experience |
| enforcement background, many do. In the state of | | | | and knowledge," he says. Prior to becoming an ATF |
| New York, investigators are fire marshals who are full | | | | fire investigator, Porreca was certified by the State of |
| powered police officers (some "Fire Marshals" are fire | | | | New York for fire investigation, which he said |
| service personnel who have received police training | | | | demonstrated to the ATF his desire to go out and |
| and are sworn as "peace officers"). In Connecticut, | | | | learn required skills on his own. "It requires a lot of long |
| "local fire marshals" are usually members of local fire | | | | hours and a lot of weekends to do your job, and then |
| departments or work under the municipal government | | | | to do this as well." |
| and get some basic training on code enforcement and | | | | While the career has always been challenging, it has |
| origin and cause, but who have no law enforcement | | | | become even more so in recent years. "The arsonist |
| powers at all! Who is a "fire marshal" may vary too | | | | is becoming more sophisticated," says Trooper Horgan. |
| much from one place to the next to make any blanket | | | | "More fires are being set up to try to fool the |
| statement. There are local (FD or PD), state (State | | | | investigators, to look accidental when they are |
| Fire Marshals) and federal (Bureau of Alcohol, | | | | intentional. This makes our job that much harder and |
| Tobacco and Firearms) fire investigators. Except for | | | | makes you have to be an even more proficient |
| the ATF where all certified fire investigators are ATF | | | | investigator to solve the case."This article was |
| agents, the rest of the system can vary. In New | | | | provided by a complete resource for fire services, fire |
| England and a number of other states, state police | | | | insurers, law enforcement and others whose duties |
| officers serve as fire investigators on behalf of the | | | | involve fire investigation. |
| Office of the State Fire Marshal. Because fire | | | | |