Problems with Arson Investigation and Today's Fire Service

Good evening everyone, as you most know I am new to this but I wanted to gain some insight from various people on here. Basically what I'm doing is gathering information on my final project for one of my college classes. I am about to obtain my Associate's Degree in Criminal Justice and for my final project for school I decided to do problems with today's fire service. I am gathering information where I am from my current sources in my area but I wanted a broader opinion to see what others like me think is the problem with today's arson investigation and some of today's fire fighting techniques. Any input is good but not absolutely necessary. Thank you all for your time.

Sincerely,

Joe Anderson

Strinestown Community Fire Company Station 26

Pennsylvania

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Permalink Reply by Moose on October 6, 2011 at 12:00pm

Thats another issue. Some have investigators like in your area that carry weapons and arrest people, sort of like a LEO, but around me it is a volunteer county team, made up of firefighters from our county, some passed chiefs/officers (or current), and you need to have your NYS Level I Investigator training. They send you to the academy for additional training once you are a member. They respond when called by the IC to assist them in determining the cause of the fire in instances when either the IC is too busy to find it or does not have the experience and wants the extra help. There needs to be one clearly defined "Job Description" (for lack of better terms) for all Fire and Arson Investigators to follow (oh wait, thats right there IS already, NFPA 921...oops, sorry)

Anyway, I think that if one fire investigator from one state goes to another state and applies for a job as Investigator it should be the same job. Maybe thats a good issue for you to focus on for your paper?

Good luck.

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Permalink Reply by Ron Briggs on November 28, 2011 at 12:20am

My dad was a FF / Fire Investigator when he was on a local Vol. FD for 12 years. Became the investigator after 2 years. Fire Investigation has somewhat gone by the wayside in many areas due to budget and staff cuts or issues. Arson Investigators was the old name for this position, however, some of them are now called Cause Investigators. Some areas this is covered by law enforcement as Arson is a crime. Some judges are too light on people who commit arson and others are harsh. Each area is different. If all judges were hard on the individuals who did this it would help. Also, in the Fire Science Courses people now take to become firefighters, this topic isn't covered to the degree that it needs to be covered. This is part of the reason why a lot of the evidence is destroyed during suppression. Some of the depts now don't even investigate fires due to lack of training. All of this plays a role. Hope this helps.

Problems with Arson Investigation and Today's Fire Service

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