Arson investigation Flashcards
1
Q
What is the memorandum of understanding?
A
It is an agreement between Police and Fire Services to share information, and details the roles for both organisations in fire investigations.
In particular both agencies want to ensure that in determining the origin and cause of fires.
-Investigation of fire scenes by the fire service and the Police are efficiently coordinated and expertly and independently conducted.
-Any relevant evidence is protected and collected for potential criminal prosecutions or coronial enquiries.
2
Q
The Fire Service will notify Police if?
A
- A fire results in serious injury or death.
- A fire is considered suspicious.
3
Q
What is a fire investigation liaison officer responsible for (FILO)?
A
- Attending every fire that results in serious injury or death.
- coordinating fire investigations in their designated area or district.
- Arranging Police attendance at fire scenes where required.
- Maintaining effective working relationships with the relevant fire service investigations liaison officer (FSILO) and fire service specialist fire investigators.
- Assisting ares or districts with fire investigation related queries.
- Ensure communication is maintained with the Police national fire investigation coordinator, police district intel manager and district manager criminal investigations.
- coordinate fire investigations training for and Police employee in your district.
- providing other advice and expertise as required.
4
Q
When would a fire service specialist fire investigators be called to attend and investigate?
A
- Fires involving a fatality
- Fire where serious (life threatening) fire related injury has occurred.
- Structure fires where the cause is suspicious.
- Significant fire spread across a property boundary.
- fires in buildings where built in fire safety features have failed, or not performed to known or expected standards.
- Structure fires of 3rd alarm equivalent (at least six appliances) or greater, that may have a significant regional or national consequence.
- Any other fire, upon request from Police or another agency.
5
Q
Fire service investigation liaison officer responsible for?
A
- Arranging fire service specialist fire investigator attendance at fire scenes where requested by Police.
- Establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with relevant Police FILO in the respective police district/areas.
6
Q
Fire scene hazards?
A
- Inhalation of toxic substances.
- Ingestion of particles.
- Cuts wounds from sharp objects.
- Air borne dust, particles etc
- Tripping on fire debris
- Falling down, over, onto or into any obstruction or cavities,
- Items falling onto you or causing a chain reaction.
7
Q
What protective clothing must be used?
A
- A suitable helmet.
- A pair of overalls.
- Nose and mouth filter, full face respirator or full BA (if required and qualified).
- Gloves
- Safety glasses.
- Heavy duty footwear with steel soles and toe caps.
8
Q
Common methods of lighting fires?
A
- Candles
- Chemical Lighters (Potassium permanganate, sugar and glycerine)
- Electrical apparatus (A bar heater facing a wall)(Iron left on)(chip fat fire)(toaster with lever ties down).
- Electrical matches
- Matches and cigarette
- Molotov cocktails.
- Timing devices (Insense stick etc)
- Trailers (line of petrol, wax fire)
9
Q
What are the Police responsibilities?
A
- Conduct the criminal investigation or coronial enquiry.
- Undertake responsibility for the protection, collection and recording of forensic evidence.
10
Q
What are the four main building materials?
A
- Timber - Will hold its strength if it is think enough.
- Steel - Can reduce to 10% original strength and cause walls to fall inwards
- Concrete - Most unpredictable and can topple easy.
- Masonry - Cracking leaning or bowing.
11
Q
What scene security considerations should Police take?
A
- Ensuring the scene is not interfered with.
- Exclusion and control on on-lookers, property owners and other interested parties.
- Preserving evidence.
- Prevent looking
12
Q
Attending Police should also be aware of?
A
- Be aware of re-igintion hotspots after the fire is extinguished.
- Be vigilant and watch for possible suspects.
- Identify and witnesses among onlookers and passers by.
- Report all matters of significance to the o/c investigation and/or scene co-ordinator.
13
Q
The preliminary examination should involve?
A
- Low stock levels
- Building areas in need of repair
- signs of hardship (empty flats, shops to let, etc)
- Missing family photos, furniture and personal items
- Rifled premises
- Position of clothing in wardrobe and drawers
- Open filling cabinets or missing files
- Forced entry into an empty till.
- Presence of accelerant containers or trails
- Separate unrelated seats of fire
- Owner/occupier attitude during walk through.
- Unusual odours.
- Burn patterns.
14
Q
What is a conference?
A
Conferences must be held during the scene examination to assist you with:
- Assessing information obtained
- Reconstructing
- Establishing possible motives
- Identifying suspects
- Planning further enquiries
15
Q
Who should attend the conference?
A
- O/C CIB
- Crime scene co-ordinator
- Fire investigation liaison officer
- O/C investigations
- Investigation officers
- Specialist fire investigator
- Police photographer
- Fingerprint tech/SOCO
- Other specialist were required
16
Q
What is the initial action required by police at fire scenes?
A
- Brief interview of informant
- Secure and control the scene
- Initial interview of SFI and OC brigade
- Interview of incident controller, find out:
- when it was reported and circumstances
- what state the fire was in where appliances attended
- what appliances attended
- what the fire service did, particularly around entry and ventilation
- what the fire service did to change the scene, e.g forcing entry etc
- building security
- their opinion of the informant
- any people or vehicles seen acting suspiciously at the scene - If fire extinguished, ensure safety of the scene before initial conference held with SFI and police. Conduct prelim examination of the scene.
- If fire considered suspicious, regroup and hold a briefing conference
- Confer and determine a plan of action. Brief and deploy staff to:
- guard and control scene
- identify and interview witnesses at the scene
- conduct local enquires. - SITREP, if necessary consider contacting FILO, SOCO, Photos etc
17
Q
What agencies should be considered to be present at a fire scene examination?
A
-Police investigators
-SFI of SSDI
-FILO and FSILO
-SOCO
-Photography
-ESR
-Building inspector
-Pathologist
-Housing NZ
-Owner/tenant
-insurance assessor
-accountant
-heating expert
etc etc
18
Q
In determining the seat of the fire what should the SFI consider?
A
- When the informant saw the fire and where they were at the time
- State of the fire at this time
- Wind speed and direction
- Weather at the time
- Direction of spread
- Severity of damage
- Depth of charring
- Colour of fire/smoke
- Presence of starting -devices
- Reports and opinions of specialists
19
Q
Who is required to attend a conference?
A
- Crime scene coordinator
- FILO
- O/C investigation
- CIB investigators
- SFI
- SOCO
- other specialists
20
Q
Outline the general enquiries that can be carried out during an arson investigation?
A
- Send exhibits off to DNA
- Area canvas
- interview witnesses/suspects
- Consider Media releases
- obtain reports from SFI, CAD and investigation reports, photographs
- Think about motives
- Contact insurance company
- Previous related fires
21
Q
How can a suspect be identified?
A
- witness accounts
- fingerprints/dna
- evidence from scene located on person/clothing
- circumstances of fire
- media response
- area enquires
- information from fire crews of people who regularly attend fire scenes.
22
Q
Outline the initial action for fires involving explosives?
A
- May be secondary device nearby, do not handle or interfere with anything unfamiliar
- Do not use cellphones, portable radios, or other devices.
- Evacuate the scene to 100 metres
- If IED is located, immediately obtain assistance from IED operator
- Give sitreps
23
Q
What is the process for examining a scene involving explosives?
A
- Once scene declared safe, conduct scene examination, use photographs and video
- Remember to continually reconstruct
- Request ESR, swab scene.
24
Q
Outline the process for identifying an explosive?
A
- Priority is to identify the explosive. As general rule the more powerful the explosive the less residue left behind.
- Low powered = spread in all directions
- explode at 1200-1500 metres per second – less line of resistance
- 5000< directional blast. Item that miss this are not as seriously damaged.
- Create path to centre of explosion by laying out plastic/stepping plates
Has ESR swab area immediately, work outwards. Vertical sheets adjacent to blast are best for residue. - May need to remove body parts promptly to avoid animal and insect contamination.
- Record odours
25
How can a suspect be linked to the scene? (Bomb)
- fingerprints and handwriting samples
- IED operator look for signature of offender
- search suspects home.
26
What should you look for during a scene examination involving explosives?
-cratering
-spread of debirs
-shredding of materials
-smell peculiar to exploded material
-an overly of dust
-shrapnel marks
-Containers
-non electric detonators
-Electric detonators
-Safety fuses
-Detonating Cord
-Ignitor Cord
-Associated items
Gas explosions generally cover a bigger area and do not leave crater
Medical evidence may show victim/suspect has inhaled gas prior to explosion.
27
How should liquid samples and residues be handles at the scene?
Place in bottles from fire kit.
Place in polystyrene box
Hand deliver the samples
28
What is the police and fire service role in guarding, controlling and preserving the scene?
-fire service to protect scene until the fire is extinguished. Fire to avoid contaminating the scene by avoiding unnecessary operations.
- police to guard the scene until scene is examined. Ensure the sence is not interfered with and control onlookers.
- Preserving evidence.
- preventing looters.
- identify witnesses.
- watch for suspects
- be aware of reignition
Consider the scope of what needs to be protected. E.g single room, entire building etc
29
What are some of the causing of deliberate methods of setting fires?
```
Rubbish and commonly available combustible materials
Candles
Chemical igniters
Electrical apparatus
Electronic matches
Molotov cocktails
Matches and cigarettes
Trailers
Timing devices
```
30
What are some non-intentional causes of fire?
Carelessness
- children playing with matches/lighters
- smoking
- vagrants lighting fires for warmth
- domestic/camp fires
- leaving iron on, clothes near heater
- leaving oil on the pot
- misusing electricity
- Storing of flammable chemicals
- fireworks
- burning rubbish
- welding and other industrial purposes
Faults
- electrical apparatus fault
- power lines breaking
- mains/switchboard fault
- Chimney and flutes
- Heating systems
- Electrical wiring
- Television left on standby mode
- Gas pipes and fittings.
Nature
- Lightening
- Rodents eating through wiring
- Sunrays
- Spontaneous combustion
- Static electricity
- Chemical reactions
31
What is the process of scene control, notification and handover?
1. Fireservice have control of the scene while they are fighting the fire. After it is extinguished then they have to hand over the scene to the appropriate agency.
2. Fireservice to report to police if fatalities/injuries or if cause is thought to be suspicious.
3. Designated police investigator to confer with incident controller to confirm handover process.
4. Fireservice do not hand over scenes that are still considered dangerous.
5. Where multi agencies are involved, all to consult and develop a multiagency investigation plan.
6. The multi-agency plan will outline how the investigation will proceed and what role each agency will take.
32
Powers and duties while the fire is being fought
The person in charge of the Fire Service at a fire is charged with the direction of operations (section 28 of the Fire Service Act 1975 refers). These powers confer the right to:
•enter private property when it is on fire or endangered, or when entry is essential to performing a necessary duty - section 28 (4)(b)
•close roads - section 28 (4)(h)
•remove vehicles impeding the Fire Service. If necessary, they can break into the vehicles for that purpose - section 28 (4)(i)
•remove people who are in danger or interfering with operations, using reasonable force if necessary - section 28 (4)(j)
•do anything else that is reasonably necessary for the protection of life and property - section 28 (4)(n).
Caution: Police officers have no right to exercise these powers simply because they are present at a fire.
33
Procedure on arrival
Interview the incident controller at the scene and find out: what?
* the time and date of the call and the manner in which it was received
* what appliances attended
* the state of the fire when the Fire Service arrived
* what action the Service has taken, particularly in entering the building and ventilating it after the fire
* what information the Fire Service has about the building's security
* what alterations they have made to the scene, for example, they may have had to force doors or windows
* whether they think the fire is suspicious, and why
* their opinions of the informant (for example, a person who regularly attends or reports fires may have lit them)
* details of people or vehicles acting suspiciously in the vicinity.
34
Who would you interview at the scene?
```
Interview witnesses, including:
•the person(s) who found the fire, raised the alarm and informed Police or Fire
•fire fighters
•occupants and their visitors
•employees, including cleaners and casual staff
•owners
•neighbours
•spectators
•passers-by
•local Police
•patrols
•other Police and security staff
•vendors and delivery people
•reporters and photographers.
```
35
Scene security considerations for Police are?
* ensuring the scene is not interfered with
* exclusion and control of on-lookers, property owners and other interested parties
* preserving evidence
* preventing looting.
Attending Police should also:
•be aware of re-ignition from hotspots after the fire is extinguished
•be vigilant and watch for possible suspects
•identify any witnesses among onlookers and passers-by
•report all matters of significance to the O/C investigation and/or scene co-ordinator
36
You may identify suspects by means of?
* the circumstances of the fire
* fingerprints
* information from informants and witnesses
* media response
* Police resources such as Intelligence and Youth Services sections or the Fire Investigation Liaison Officer
* enquiries at prisons, psychiatric hospitals, rehabilitation centres and schools
* information from fire crews on people who regularly attend fires.
37
Possible suspects may include?
* the owner or occupier, for insurance fraud
* an employee, to cover theft, forgery or false pretences
* a criminal, to cover the traces of a crime such as burglary or homicide, or to intimidate other victims of a protection racket
* an aggrieved person suffering from jealousy, hatred, rage, prejudice or a desire for revenge
* a pyromaniac suffering from mental illness
* in the case of school buildings, a pupil or ex-pupil
* a member of the Fire Service, for excitement or personal recognition
* a business competitor, to disadvantage a rival.
