Fire Investigation

Aim

To introduce students to factors which support incident investigation.

Learning OutcomesAt the end of the session students will be able to:

• State the factors which aid fire investigation

• State the purpose of a fire damage report (FDR1)

• Understand the procedures to be adopted when discovering a body at a fire.

Factors which aid investigations

• Initial observations on arrival

• Temperatures

• Point of origin

• Degree of burning

• Patterns of fire spread.

Arrow pattern of burning, showing fire travel.

Arrow pattern of burning, showing fire travel.

Picture showing severity of burning, seat of fire and direction of fire travel.

Factors which aid investigations

• Smoke and fire staining

• Establishing the cause of ignition and the material first ignited

• Fire growth

• Establishing the time of ignition.

Establishing the cause of fire

• The cause of every fire should be established

• Every fire will leave behind evidence.

Fire Damage Report (FDR1)

Information gathered for fire reports serves two purposes;

• Damage assessment for insurance companies

• Statistical research to help reduce the number of fires.

Discovering bodies

• Firefighters may discover bodies in a fire, they will often be part buried in debris and often difficult to recognise.

Picture of a fire scene, containing at least six bodies amongst the debris.

Discovering bodies

• If possible a body and any debris in the vicinity should be left undisturbed until the arrival of the police.

Discovering bodies

If fire threatens to destroy evidence and the body needs to be removed, the following details should be noted;

• Location of the body

• Positioning of the body

• The nature and position of articles around the body.

Location of the body

• Which floor was the body on

• Which room was the body in

• What part of the room

Important: These details must be precise to enable the investigation to be effective.

Position of the body

• Which direction was it in

• Which way was it facing

• Was it on the floor or the furniture

Important: These details must be precise to enable the investigation to be effective.

Articles surrounding the body

• What was surrounding the body

• How was the room laid out

Important: These details must be precise to enable the investigation to be effective.

Information supplied when a body is discovered

This information will be used by the police scientist to help establish the cause of death. It may also be used in a coroner’s court.

Precautions to be taken when moving bodies

• Wear protective gloves at all times

• Cover the body with a body bag or a salvage sheet before moving it

• If a firefighter touches a body with the bare skin, apply disinfectant and visit hospital as soon as possible.

Health and safety considerations

• When handling bodies or items which are contaminated by body fluids, take the appropriate steps to prevent infection

• Any contact with the bare skin needs urgent medical treatment

• Even when the incident has been concluded, during the investigation wear full firefighting kit at all times.

ConfirmationAssessments will be based on this lesson and the corresponding study note

Learning Outcomes• State the factors which aid fire investigation

• State the purpose of a fire damage report (FDR1)

• Understand the procedures to be adopted when discovering a body at a fire.

THE END