Arson Policy And Procedures Flashcards
Generally, what should you do while a fire is still being fought?
Cooperate with the person in charge of the fire service.
What powers does s42 of the FENZ Act give the Fire Service? [Must know]
Authorised persons may do the following in order to perform their functions, duties, or powers:
- enter land or building
- break into land or building if on fire or emergency
- take and send required equipment
- remove flamable or dangerous material
- cause at risk buildings to be pulled down or shored up
What is outlined in the memorandum of understanding between the Police and Fire Service? [Must know]
The Fire Service will notify Police if:
- serious injury or death
- a fire is considered suspicious
In determining the origin of fires, both agencies want to ensure:
- Investigations are efficiently coordinated and expertly and independently conducted
- relevant evidence is protected and collected for potential prosecutions or colonial inquiries
What is a Fire Investigation Liason Officer (FILO) and their responsibilities? [Must know]
A police employee in each district whose responsibilities include:
- Attending fires with serious injury or death
- coordinateling fire investigations
- arranging Police attendance at fires when required
- maintaining working relationships with the Fire Service
- Assisting with fire Investigation related inquiries
- Coordinating training
- Ensuring communication is maintained where required with the National FILO, the District Intelligence Manager, and the District Criminal Investigation Manager
What are Specialist Fire investigators?
Specialized, trained, and typically experienced Fire Service Officers
When will a Spealist Fire Investigator attend and investigate fires?
- Fatalities occur
- Serious (life-threatening) fire-related injury occurs
- Cause is suspicious or can’t be determined
- Significant fire spreads across a property boundary
- built-in fire-safety features fail or do not perform to expected standards
- when 6+ appliances attend, or fires are of regional or national significance
- upon request of police or another agency
What do Specialist Fire Investigators determine?
The origin and cause of a fire
What is a Fire Service Investigation Liason Officer and what are they responsible for?
A Fire Service employee who:
- arranges Specialist Fire Investigator attendance when requested by Police
- establishes and maintains working relationships with FILOs
What are the 6 steps of fire scene control, notification, and handover?
1) Fire Service has authority over the scene while a fire is in progress. Once extinguished and the threat to life/property stops, they must hand it over to the appropriate person or agency.
2) The Fire Service will notify Police if a fire is deliberately lit, suspicious, or causes a serious injury or fatality.
3) Where Police seek authority over a scene, the Investigating officer will confer with the incident controller
4) Fire Service will not normally hand over a scene until the danger of fire, structural collapse, exposure, etc, are identified and minimized
5) For any scene involving multiple agencies, they must consult with each other prior to any investigation to develop an investigation plan.
6) An investigation plan will cover how an investigation will proceed and the role of each agency
If Police have custody of a fire scene, can the Fire Service enter it?
Only at the discretion of Police
Who will conduct a fire scene examination, and what will they liaise about? [Must know]
A FILO and a Specialist Fire Investigator will conduct a scene examination.
The will liaise about:
- Handover of the scene
- Access to the scene
- scene exam and investigation plan
- Identification and collection of evidence
What are Police responsibilities during a fire scene exam and investigation?
- Conduct the criminal investigation or colonial inquiry
- Protection, collection, and recording of forensic evidence.
- The collection and removal of material from scenes will only be done with Police or other agencies with the authority to do so
- The preservation, analysis, and disposition of any such materials is the responsibility of the Police ornother sgency with the appropriate authority
What is the overarching principal for fire scene safety?
Risk assessments must remain updated and reviewed to ensure safety
Most fire scene injuries [Must know]
- Inhalation of toxic substances
- Ingestion of particles
- Cuts from sharp objects
- Airborne dust and particles
- tripping on debris
- falling into obstacles or cavities
- falling items
What strategies should be taken to prevent common fire scene injuries? [Must know]
The most common risks must be assessed, and a strategy to mitigate them created. This will include:
- Checking under floors
- Checking under stairs and walking on the wall side
- consider unstable roofs from internal fires
- PPE
What protective equipment is required? [Must know]
- Helmet
- Overalls
- Nose and mouth filter
- Full respirator (if required and qualified)
- Gloves
- Safety glasses
- Heavy duty footwear
What are the safety risks associated with timber? [Must know]
Timber will burn and char. If members are thick enough, they will maintain sufficient integrity. Check the thickness, the load it is carrying, and any sound emanating from them.
What are the safety risks associated with steel? [Must know]
Unprotected steel will expand, causing walls to push out. If sufficient fuel, steel will lose strength and collapse, pulling walls inward. It may also collapse during excavation or movement.
When cooled steel will contract and may fall off its supports.
Steel will rarely melt, but at 1600°C its strength will drop to 10%.
What are the safety risks associated to concrete? [Must know]
Concrete can be unpredictable and affected by very low temperatures.
Steel reinforcing can lose its strength or can expand and contract, causing the concrete to collapse.
Look for spalling, exposed steel, discolouration or cracking. For tilt slabs, check if the fixing cleats are exposed or grouped.
What is spalling?
A steam explosion from moisture in concrete expanding
What are the safety concerns related to masonry? [Must know]
Fire can weaken the mortar or cause walls to expand, or can damage supporting and connected members.
Look for visible cracking, leaning, bowing, or collapse.
For fire scene risks what is the bottom line?
If it looks to dangerous, it probably is.
What are the most common methods of setting fires? [Must know]
- Ignition of readily available combustable material
- Candles
- Chemical igniters
- Electrical apparatus, which is left on
- Molotov cocktails
- Timing devices
- “Trailers”
- Electric matches
Discuss how a candle is used to light fires and what to look for
Candles are used to light combustible material.
Look for traces of wax and wicks.
What are common chemical igniters and discuss their investigation implications?
Potassium permanganate + sugar + glycerin
- ignites when glycerin added
- leaves greenish Coca-Cola like residue
- look for containers and trip mechanisms
Potassium chlorate + sugar + sulphuric acid
- Yates weed killer often used for Potassium chlorate
- often housed in a clay pot
How do various electrical apparatus start fires, and what is the main investigative consideration?
Heaters, irons left down, toasters tied down, pans with flammable liquid etc.
Trace wires back to circuit to confirm it was on
What is a Molotov cocktail?
A glass bottle of petrol with a petrol-soaked rag in it’s neck
Are Molotov cocktails good at starting fires?
No, not unless the bottle doesn’t break.
Offenders however can add soap flakes, soap powder, sugar or flour to slow the burning rate and increase their effectiveness in this regard.
What are the investigation considerations for Molotov cocktails?
- Look for a wicked or bottle at the seat of the fire
- Look for broken window glass from the bottles entry
- in the case of chemical Ignition, Look for tape used to attach chemicals and signature types of burn
- consider fingerprinting the bottles
- Look for evidence of liquid flowing and other debris such as ringer bands, egg white residue, gelatine etc
What are the most common means of timing devices?
1) Incense sticks or matches
2) chemicals timers
3) electric timers
What is a “trailer” at a fire scene and what should you look for?
A trail laid from the ignition sources to the site of the fire.
Look for scorched carpet or burn vegetation.
Do Police need to attend non-intentional fires?
Not unless a fatality has occurred
What are the three broad categories of non-intentional fires? [Must know]
- Carelessness
- Faults
- Nature
What are examples of careless non-intentional fires? [Must know]
- misusing electricity
- children playing with matches
- vagrants lighting fires for warmth
- industrial processes such as welding
- Clothes left near heating
- ironing
- fireworks
- leaving stove or heater on
- smoking
- burning fat left unattended
Bonus:
- wrapping of live ashes
- burning off paint
- storing flammable materials
- burning rubbish
What are common faults that cause non-intentional fires?
- Chimneys and flues
- Heating systems
- appliance faults
- TVs on standby
- Dust extractors
- Wiring
- Gas pipes
What are examples of non-intention fires caused in nature?
- Sunrays
- chemical reactions
- Lightening
- Static electricity
- Spontaneous combustion
How is a fire scene usually reported to Police?
By a Specialist Fire Investigator. If not, ask them to attend
Initial action at a fire scene [Must know]
1) Interview the informant
2) Secure and control the scene
3) Initial interview of:
- Specialist fire Investigator
- O/C of the first fire appliance on scene
4) Interview the incident controller
5) Ensure scene safety before the initial conference (with Specialist Fire Investigator)
6) If deemed suspicious, regroup, and hold a briefing
7) Confer with Police staff to:
- Freeze, control, guard and preserve scene
- ID and interview witnesses
- Conduct local enquires
8) Update Comms and request required assistance
What must you consider when interviewing the informant for a fire?
That they may be the offender
What should you ask the incident controller at a scene about upon arrival as part of step 4 in initial action? [Must know]
- Time and date of call
- What appliances attended
- State of fire upon attendance
- Actions by Fire Service such as alterations to the scene
- about scene security
- Whether they think it is suspicious and any details of suspicious people or vehicles in the vicinity
- opinions on the infomant
What is the purpose of interviewing a witness?
To gain knowledge about the sequence of events before, during, and after the fire that may have a bearing on the investigation.
Outlines potential witnesses in a fire investigation [Must know]
- Person who found fire
- Informant
- Fire Service
- Occupants, owners, visitors
- Employees
- Neighbour’s
- Spectators and passers-by
- Local police and patrols
- Vendors and delivery people
- Reporters and photographers
What is some ways to ID unknown witnesses?
Ask other witnesses about suspects and those that have left the scene.
Source media footage.
Who guards a scene while a fire is in progress?
The Fire Service will ensure scene security while a fire is in progress
What are the four key considerations for Police concerning fire scene security?
Freeze, control guard and preserve to:
- Exclude and control people
- ensure the scene is not interfered with
- Preserve evidence
- Prevent looting
What are some additional factors, beyond the 4 key considerations, to consider in fire scene security?
- Aware of re-ignition
- Be vigilant for suspects
- identify witness among on-lookers
- report matters of significance to the OC investigation and OC scene
