Must knows! Flashcards
Examples of how fires can start naturally:
- Chemical reactions
- Sun ray’s
- Lightening
- Rodents eating through wires
Police responsibilities at an Arson
- Conduct the criminal investigation or coronial enquiry
- Undertake responsibility for the protection, collection and recording of forensic evidence
- The collection and removal of material from fire crime scene will only be done by Police or other agency with authority
- The preservation and analysis of any material is the Police responsibility.
FILO responsibilities
- Attending every fire that results in serious injury or death
- Co-coordinating fire investigations in their district
- Arranging Police attendance
- Maintaining effective working relationships with the relevant Fire Service Investigation Liaison Officer (FSILO)
- Ensure communication
- Coordinating fire investigation training and advice
Fire Service Investigation Liaison Officers (FSILO) responsibilities: - Fire
- Arranging for FSILO attendance
- Establish and maintain effective working relationship with relevant groups
Common methods of starting fires
- Matches
- Candles
- Cigarettes
- Chemical starters
- Timing devices
- Molotov cocktails
- Electrical appliances
- Trailers
Non intentional causes of fires
- Carelessness
- Faults
- Nature
What evidence to look for at a scene which may point towards a wilful cause?
- Containers
- Traces of debris
- Smell
- Unusually rapid spread
- Uneven burning
- Removal of valuable property
What information to obtain from fire incident controller on arrival at suspicious fire
- Time and date of call
- State of fire when the fire service arrived
- What action has been taken
- Available information
- Alterations to scene
- Opinions
12 GENERAL ENQUIRIES in respect of fires NOT involving explosives
- Submit ESR items ASAP
- OR
- Obtain reports
- Consider media release/informing staff
- Plan enquires and do interviews
- Area canvas
- Consider motive
- Contact insurance company
- Consider pyromaniac (prevention needed)
- Inform intel and FILO
- Establish weather at time of fire
- Maintain contact with owner
12 SUSPECT ENQUIRIES in respect of fires not involving explosives
- Means of ID suspects
- Possible suspects
- Investigate suspects (background)
- Consider surveillance
- Complete enquiries
- Consider search warrant
- Interview
- ID parade or montage
- Enquiries to corroborate or negate suspects explanation
- Advise supervisor
- Arrest
- File
5 step INITIAL ACTION for fires involving explosives
- Consider secondary device
- Do not use cellphones, radios or other transmitting device
- Evacuate to distance of 100m
- When IED located get assistance from Department of Labour
- SITREPS
3 steps to EXAMINING SCENE of a fire involving explosives
- Conduct scene exam (once safe)
- Continually reconstruct
- Request attendance of ESR
5 steps for area enquiries
- Send staff to interview people
- Prelim interview with owner
- Note the owners demeanour
- Complete interviews and FWS
- SITREP supervisor
6 stages of fire scene control, notification and handover
- The fire service has authority over the scene until threat to life or property no longer exists
- Fire will notify Police if needed.
- Police investigating will confer with incident controller
- Fire will not hand over until scene is safe
- For any fire scene involving multiple agencies, all will consult and develop plan
- Plan will include outline of how to proceed
Particular matters the Specialist Fire Investigator will liaise and pass onto FILO
- Handover of scene
- Access to scene
- Process for examination and investigation
- Identification and collection of evidence at the fire scene
Investigation steps
- Info gathering
- Scene exam
- Debris exam
- Product exam
- Analysis and testing
- Opinion formulation
- Reporting data and opinions
The person in charge of the Fire Service at a fire confers the right to:
- Enter private property when on fire
- Close roads
- Remove vehicles impeding fire service
- Remove people in danger or interfering
- Do anything else necessary for the protection of life and property
*NOT police powers. They can exercise if called upon to do so
Fire scene safety
Investigators often find themselves:
- Searching through an unstable structure
- Excavating the scene to identify the cause
To identify the best method of protection at a fire scene you must consider:
- An assessment of the risks
- A strategy to prevent an occurrence or mitigate the impact
Scene security considerations for Police:
- Ensuring the scene is not interfered with
- Exclusion and control of on lookers and owners
- Preserving evidence
- Preventing looting
Attending Police should be aware of ___ at an arson scene
- Re ignition from hot spots
- Watch for suspects
- Identify witnesses
- Inform O/C of anything relevant
What points should be considered to assist in scene preservation?
- Scope (How much of area needs to be preserved)
- Cordon
- Common approach path
- Where it is difficult to preserve the scene (sketch,photograph)
- Personnel
Conferences must be held during the scene examination to assist you with:
- Assessing information obtained
- Reconstructing
- Establishing possible motives
- Identifying suspects
- Planning further enquiries
What does a conference form?
The conference forms the basis of your scene examination and risk assessment planning.
8 Step process initial action suspected arson
- Interview informant
- Secure and control scene
- Speak to person in charge of first appliance and specialist fire investigator
- Interview incident controller
- Conduct prelim exam with specialist fire investigator
- If 1C, hold conference
- Get staff, cordons, statements, areas
- Contact comms, gets required specialists
Signs that an explosive was used
- Cratering
- Spread of debris
- Shrapnel marks
- Shredding of materials
- Smell of almonds
- Overlay of dust
R v Archer
Property is damaged if it suffers temporary or permanent physical harm or impairment of use or value
R v Morley
Loss is assessed by the extent to which the complainants position prior to the offence has been impaired or diminished
R v Harpur
Conduct to be viewed cumulatively up until the point where the conduct in question stops.
Defendants actions to be looked at in their entirety, what is left to be done is always relevant but not determinative
Specialist Fire Investigator responsibilities:
- Fires where death or serious injury occurs
- Suspicious fires
- Significant fire spread across property boundary
- Fires in building where the built in fire safety features have failed
- Any of fire upon Police request
What to do at arson search warrant:
a) Look for debris, wiring, accelerants, containers
b) Photograph in situ
c) Ask suspect about them
d) Seize
e) Provide 268
Complete these 5 enquiries to establish suspects:
- Opportunity
- Motive
- Mens rea (guilty mind)
- Connection to scene
- Character/history
