Must Knows Flashcards
Initial Attendence (8 steps) no explosive.
1 - Interview informant
2 - Control and secure scene
3 - Interview SFI.
4 - Interview IC, obtain more info
5 - If not 1C and fire is extinguished, ensure safety, have inital conference.
6 - If 1C - hold briefing conference.
7 - Plan and Deploy.
8 - Sitreps and ask for specialist groups.
External examination - what to look for?
A
S
D
Ajoining premises
- accelerant containers.
- broken windows.
- forced entry.
- nearby streets/alleyways.
- how far debris have shattered.
Surrounding area:
- accelerant containers.
- run down property
- missing contents of building.
Damaged Structure:
- burn patterns on cladding “v” shape.
- Broken glass - prior to fire.
- jemmy marks.
Internal exam - what to look for?
T
S
B
S
- Timber damage.
- Concrete spalling, cracking from heat and cooled.
- Burn patterns.
- Window sill damage
- soot on window sills
Preliminary exam (quick initial walk through)
M
A
B
O
- missing photos.
- accelerant containers.
- burn patterns
- odour - unusal smells.
Conference discussion points:
ARIPE
- Assess information
- Reconstruction
- Identify suspects.
- Plan further enquiries.
- Establish possible motives.
Section 28 FENZ act: The person in charge:
ECRAP
- Enter private property when on fire or endangered.
- Close roads
- Remove vehicles impeding operations and can break into them.
- Anything else reasonably necessary to protect life and property.
- Person - remove if in danger/impeding operations, can use reasonable force.
Section 42 FENZ:
- Any land/building/structure - Enter
- B
- Can bring in any equipment.
- Dangerous/explosives/flamerble material can be removed.
- Either in whole or part, cause any BS that is on fire or endangered to be pulled down or shored including any BS in the vicinity.
- For a reasonable time afterwards as above (E).
Section 44 FENZ Act (6 steps)
-Water - cause to be shut off from any main pipe or turned into for water and better water pressure.
- Roads - close any roads/railways to traffic/people in the vicinity of the emergency.
- Vehicles - remove any vehicles impeding operations and use force/break into the vehicle.
- Person - remove person who interferes, in danger, likely to cause danger to person/property.
- Shut off gas, electricity fuel to any BS that is on fire, endangered or in the vicinity.
- Owner - require relevant info.
- May generally do all things reasonably necessary to:
Protect and preserve life.
Prevent or limit injury or damage to property.
Roads include:
Street
Motorway
Bridges
Beaches
Public access
Highway
Fire Service and Police MOU - Determining the origin and cause of the fire:
- Investigation is efficiently coordinated.
Expertly and independently conducted. - Relevant evidence is protected and collected for potential criminal or coronial investigation.
FSILO
SFI
FSILO:
- Arrange SFI to attend scenes, as requested by Police.
-Maintain effective relationship with FILO (Police) In the area.
SFI: (FISS)
-Fatalities - attend
- Injuries - attend
- Suspicious- attend
- Spread - attend when large fire spread over property.
FILO (Police) responsibilities:
- Coordinate investigation.
- Attend when injury or death.
- Mantain working relationship with SFI and FSILO in the area.
- Provide advice.
SFI liaise with FILO (Police) to:
HAPI
- Hand over the scene.
- Access to the scene.
- Process for examination and investigation.
- Identify and collect evidence.
SFI notify Police when:
-results in a death or serious injury.
- deemed suspicious.
Police responsibility at a scene:
- Conduct a criminal investigation or coronial enquiries.
- Evidence - (PCR) protect, collect and record evidence.
- Remove material from scene, police authorization only.
- preserve and analysis material.
Fire Scene Safety: hazards and what to consider?
Hazards:
- Falling onto the below.
- Airbourne dust.
- Smell - odour like almonds.
- Tripping on fire debris.
- Inhalation toxic substances.
- Sharp objects.
Consider: Consider the hazards and plan a strategy to prevent an occurrence or to mitigate its impact
Fire Scene Risk to structures:
Timber - Burns and chars. Usually thick enough to be stable. Take note of the thickness, the load its carrying and any sound.
Steel - Unprotected steel can expand and push internal/external walls out. Will retract when cooled and pull walls inwards.
Concrete - Low heat can create spalling, breaking away and exposing the steel.
Masonry - Weakened by deterioration of the mortar. Wall expansion or damage to the structure. Signs are: cracking, leaning or bowing.
Unintentional Methods of starting a fire:
Carelessness:
- Matches, lighters by children.
- Ashes in paper.
- Fireworks.
- Ironing.
Faults:
- Heating systems.
- Apliances.
- TV on standby.
- Electrical wiring.
Natural:
- Sunrays.
- Chemical reactions.
- Electricity static.
- Lightening.
Common methods:
- Smokes.
- Candles.
- Electrical.
- Trailers.
Questions to ask the Incident Controller (IO) step 4.
- 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.
Sign of Deliberately lit fires:
Look for accelerants:
- containers.
- odour.
- uneven burning.
- multiple seats of fire.
Intentional interference:
- tampering with smoke alarms.
- hindering access.
- furniture rearranged.
- evidence of removing valuable items.
What do fire consider when determining the seat of the fire:
- wind direction.
- weather.
- witness reports.
- state of the fire.
- depth of charring.
- colour of flames.
Inital attendance involving explosives:
- may be a 2nd device. Do not handle anything unfamiliar.
- do not use phones/radios etc.
- evacuate the scene at least 100m, consider detector dog.
- if explosive is located, inform department of labour (DOL), if no luck, consider defence force.
- sitreps.
Liquid sample exhibits
Liquid residue:
- clean dropper pipette and treat as a liquid sample. Or absorb into a tissue and place in tin.
- approved bottles.
- lids is tightly fastened.
- clean outside of bottle.
- polystyene box.
- hand deliver if possible.
Exhibit process - 3 steps
- photograph, seize, and label.
- place in an approved container.
- take control samples (charred timber and ash, debris from seat of the fire for comparison. Accelerants near scene and soil surrounding the area.
What to look for at a suspect SW:
- Accelerants
- containers.
- Igniters
- Traces of debris from scene.
- Burnt facial hair.
- Smoke smell.
- residual of fuel on skin.
Who owns power supplies etc
“Supply authority”
Owns service entry fuses and electric meters.
Will remove if damaged or need to disconnect power, so take photos prior.
