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