ANOKA COUNTY FIRE INVESTIGATION TEAM



___________COUNTY FIRE INVESTIGATION TEAM

Organization Outline:

The _____County Fire Investigation Team formed ________. The “team” is comprised of trained fire and police investigators who have committed their time and skills to assist other agencies within the county (through mutual aid agreements) in conducting origin and cause investigations. The concept of the team is to provide area Incident Commanders and their investigators, investigation resources that they may not have or to add to their currant resources in order to determine the most likely cause of a fire or explosion. These will be determined through effective interviews, thorough scene examinations, tedious scene processing, and follow-up.

With this team, we are hoping that we are able to assist our local, state, and county in better determining our fire problem. It is also our hope that through our efforts that we are able to reduce the loss of lives, injury, and property that are succumb by fire each year. The team has investigators that have been certified or tested in fire and explosion investigation and have provided their records to the Chairman of the organization for verification. The team will work under the jurisdictions Incident Commander or Investigator and provide all information and material gathered while on the scene to them. It is not the intent of the team to assume the responsibility of the scene, only to assist under the local fire official in charge of the investigation.

The team has an elected Chairperson and three Team Leaders. Team Leaders are required to have a minimum of 3 years investigation experience and education to assure that they are competent in their duties. Funding for supplies and materials come from donations by local organizations through fund raising.

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To build an organization that will provide effective and thorough origin and cause investigations at no charge to local agencies. With continued education and improvement of our skills, along with support from local agencies and organizations, we will strive to reduce the fire problem within Anoka County communities.

ACFIT CALL OUT PROCEDURES

Incident Commanders (IC) can call out the Fire Investigation Team (FIT) through ____ Central Communications. Communications will then page the on-call FIT leader and advise him/her of the incident. Commanders should have a phone number on-scene so the FIT leader can call to make contact with them. Once the FIT leader receives the scene information, he/she will determine the level of response that is required to your location. It shall be the FIT leader’s option to select and upgrade or downgrade the response at any time.

The following response guidelines will be used by the FIT Leader to determine who and what will respond to your location for assistance. In order to maintain custody of the scene and to assist with questions and resources, the IC shall appoint someone from their jurisdiction to stay on the scene with the FIT at all times, unless relieved by the FIT Leader. If there is information that the fire may have been intentionally set, please call the team early so that we can begin interviews as soon as possible. In most cases however, the team should not be called until the fire is out and the team is able to work within the fire origin.

Based on the information received by the IC, one of the following levels of response will be sent to your location.

LEVEL A (consists of one or more investigators with a basic level of equipment)

EXAMPLES:

1. Fire with a single origin (where the fire began).

2. Homeowner or resident was on the scene at the time of the fire.

3. Information from the homeowner seems to fit the fire scenario.

LEVEL B (Consist of both fire and police investigators)

1. Fire with multiple origins.

2. Homeowner or resident was not home at the time of the fire.

3. Suspicions discovered during and/or after fire attack.

4. Someone was injured due to the fire.

5. Juvenile may have been involved with setting the fire.

6. Confession

LEVEL C (Consist of local, county, and state fire investigators as well as police).

1. Large dollar loss fire.

2. Explosion.

3. Fire fatality(s) or multiple injuries.

4. Meth Lab fire or similar.

FIT EQUIPMENT

The following list shows the investigation equipment needed to process a scene. When the FIT is notified, they will bring their own equipment. If the jurisdiction can provide investigation equipment, it may be used in conjunction with the FIT equipment.

BASIC:

Safety Equipment Pens

Paper Tape Measurer

Film/disk(s) Forms

Flashlight(s) Camera (Digital or 35mm)

Work/Safety gear Interview forms

Identification

MODERATE:

Generator Extension Cord(s)

Portable Lights(s) Evidence Can/Jar(s)

Rake Evidence Collection items

Shovel Hand Tool(s)

Evidence Labels Squeegee

Gas Can

ADVANCED:

Gas Monitor Saws-all

Tool Box Casting equipment

Drill w/bits Light stands

Sifting frames String & Rope

Photo Markers Fluorescent spray paint

Ladder(s) Char meter

Sump pump X-ray

Cellophane Tarp

Collapsible Tent Compass

100 foot tape Chalk

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ACFIT Policy 04-0002

TITLE: Professional Demeanor and Participation

PURPOSE:

To assure that all members on the team remain proficient in their skills and carry a positive attitude that reflects positively on the Anoka County Fire Investigation Team.

NARRITIVE:

As a member of the ACFIT team, you will be responding to many locations outside of your normal working environment. This requires you to remain positive and carry yourself professionally. Sometimes when we are outside of our “normal” environment it is easy to act and function as we always do without knowing the audience that is amongst us. The key is to have fun, help others, and learn as we go, while showing the county that we are a professional team. If we do this and continue our education as a team, we will become a very beneficial team to the county, which will reflect greatly upon us.

ACTION:

The continued display of unprofessonalism may lead to suspension and/or dismissal from the team. Both the Chairperson and Team Leaders of the team will review each case on a case-by-case basis.

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ACFIT Policy 04-0001

TITLE: Safety / Right to Know

PURPOSE:

To assure that all investigators are aware of the hazards of fire investigations and that the proper wear of safety equipment will greatly reduce or eliminate those hazards.

NARRITIVE:

Conducting fire investigations can be very dangerous. It is known that the products of combustion remain on the fire scene even after the fire is out, which places the fire investigators health at risk. There are also many other hazards such as, unstable building construction, sharp edges and objects, hazardous gases, and alike.

These hazards can cause immediate and delayed physical injury and shall be minimized by the wearing proper safety equipment. Equipment should include, by not be limited to, air purifying respirator, eye protection, head protection, and hearing protection when needed. Each member of the team shall provide their own safety equipment while operating within the fire origin.

ACTION:

All members will use their best judgment on which piece(s) of equipment will be used for each incident. If equipment is available on scene, an air quality test shall be conducted to determine the level of carbon monoxide, oxygen, and other gases are within the fire scene PRIOR to conducting an investigation.

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ACFIT Policy 04-0003

TITLE: Membership / Qualifications

PURPOSE:

To assure that a minimum level of professional training in the field of fire investigation is established within the team and that training in that field, as well as related fields, are maintained.

NARRITIVE:

Conducting an origin and cause investigation requires both technical and practical training. Because of the complexity of some of the cases that the ACFIT team will be responding to, and the fact that we want Incident Commanders to feel comfortable with whoever arrives on their scene, a basic level of training is required to become a member of the team.

These qualifications are a minimum and further training in the field is strongly encouraged. Memberships in organizations such as the Minnesota Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators and alike, allow members of the team to receive further training and information within the field that can greatly benefit the investigation practices of the team.

Membership requirements shall be submitted to the Chairperson of the ACFIT. Applications will be submitted to the membership for acceptance based on the information provided on the application as well as background.

In order to become a member an “Active Member” of the ACFIT you must have one of the following in order to be working within the area of origin of a fire investigation.

1. Bureau of Criminal Apprehension arson series I, II, III.

2. Fire Investigation Basic and Advanced through a MNSCU College or University.

3. Other related education and/or experience that may equal the following.

It is encouraged that those who intend to remain active in the fire investigation field become certified through a national organization such as the International Association of Arson Investigations (IAAI) or the National Association of Fire Investigators (NAFI).

For those that do not meet the qualifications for membership but have specific skills that may benefit the team, may apply for “Participative Membership”.

This level of membership would allow the applicant to come to the fire scenes to assist in a particular area such as a photographer, drafter, evidence technician, interrogator, excavation operator, coroner, heavy equipment operator, engineers, lawyers, etc.

These skills would greatly benefit the team by using their knowledge and tools to process a scene. It would also allow us to use them as a training tool to enhance our active membership’s skills.

Again, a formal application shall be completed and sent to the Chair of the Team.

APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP LOGO HERE

Name: __________________________________________________

Address: ________________________________________________

City: _______________________ State: _____________________

Residence Phone Number: __________________________________

Cell Phone Number: _______________________________________

Pager Phone Number: ______________________________________

Email Address: ___________________________________________

Applying for :

ٱ Active Membership ( Police, Fire, Private Investigator etc.)

ٱ Participative Membership (Photographer, Surveyor, Evidence Technician etc.)

Position:

ٱ Fire Investigator ٱ Police/ Sheriff Investigator

ٱ Other: _________________________________________________________

Describe Qualifications (Please submit copies of certificates and/or class transcripts for your file): _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I understand that as a member of the Anoka County Investigation Team that I may be working with sensitive and/or confidential information. I understand that it is my duty to maintain this information on a “Need-to-know” basis and that it shall only be shared with those closely involved in the case. I also understand that it is my role to present a positive image towards others while working on the Anoka County Investigation Team and agree to do so.

Signature: ____________________________________________________

Approval Signature: ____________________________________________

Date of Membership ________________ Position: ___________________

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“Working together to find the cause”

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