13.pdf

HOFFMAN ESTATES FIRE DEPARTMENT STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINES SOG Category & Identification Number: EFFECTIVE DATE: OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES – 013 January 1, 2022 NIMS COMPLIA...

HOFFMAN ESTATES FIRE DEPARTMENT STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINES SOG Category & Identification Number: EFFECTIVE DATE: OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES – 013 January 1, 2022 NIMS COMPLIANT SOG Title: Fire Investigation Guideline Revision: 7 APPROVED BY: NUMBER OF PAGES: Re-evaluation Date: Alan Wax January 1, 2024 Fire Chief 5 PURPOSE The Hoffman Estates Fire Department has the statutory responsibility to investigate the origin and cause of all fires that occur within its jurisdiction including but not limited to: structure fires, vehicle fires, equipment fires, etc. This guideline is not intended to be a policy on how to conduct a fire investigation. DEFINITIONS POLICY The determination of a fire origin and cause shall not be limited to one of the Fire Department’s fire investigators. A typical investigation begins at the firefighter level and may involve every level of command operating at a fire scene. The observations of every department member working at a fire incident may be of utmost importance in determining the origin and cause of a fire. The incident commander at any fire incident within the jurisdiction of Hoffman Estates Fire Department will determine the need for fire investigator(s) and utilize the following callback procedure. CALL BACK PROCEDURE A shift investigator (if available) will be requested to the fire scene by the Incident Commander to initiate the origin and cause investigation. Every attempt shall be made to have two (2) origin and cause investigators at the scene of a fire to complete the investigation. If an additional investigator is to be notified the Incident Commander shall request that a fire investigator respond to the scene for cause and origin determination. The needed investigator may be requested to the fire scene by the Incident Commander, via Northwest Central Dispatch, or via 610. 1 OPERATIONS: On-duty civilian investigators and/or callback investigator(s) will report to Station 22 and pick up Utility 22, then proceed to the fire scene. If Utility 22 is on the scene, then investigators may report directly to the fire scene. Upon arrival at the fire scene, the fire investigator shall be briefed on the fire status by the Incident Commander. A second fire investigator may be contacted if investigation requirements dictate a need (based on the size of the fire/fire damage area). The investigator should relay this need to the Communication Center, who will then initiate a second notification. Certain fire situations will automatically require a Special Agent and K-9 (If available) from the Office of the State Fire Marshal, HEPD Detective, and shall be requested to the scene on the initial callback:  Fires involving fatalities  Fires involving injuries (firefighter and/or civilian injuries)  Fire of suspicious nature or suspected multiple points of origin  Large loss fires as determined by the Fire Chief or his designee  Fire damage to state, federal or school property The following situations require a Special Agent from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms to be requested to the scene:  Fires that occur in churches, synagogues, temples, or other places of worship  Explosions and fires involving homemade explosive devices  Fires that are believed to be hate crimes  Acts of Terrorism Investigators conducting an investigation shall not enter a structure until air quality has been determined to be safe according to department guidelines. All investigators may enter a structure if an IDLH atmosphere exists if proper respiratory protection is used. At no time will an investigator enter a structure without proper respiratory protection if monitoring determines an IDLH atmosphere exists. All investigators shall wear proper respiratory protection and PPE while digging out a structure. On occasion it may be deemed necessary by the fire investigator(s)/Incident Commander that a hand-line and/or air quality monitor(s) is to be left at the scene during the investigation process. In this situation the fire investigator(s) should make every effort to return all equipment to the appropriate position on the apparatus. FIRE SCENE EXAMINATION The following elements should be included in the fire scene examination.  After an initial examination of the scene, photographs should be started and continued throughout the investigation in order to document the scene and its contents.  The scene should be dug as deeply as necessary to gather all of the pertinent information. Fire companies may be used to assist as needed.  Any evidence should be collected as necessary, photographed, and stored in police custody. 2   A sketch should be completed when necessary to document the scene and location of items and evidence.  All witnesses should be identified and interviewed.  Police assistance should be requested for securing witnesses and securing the scene  Victim assistance should be arranged through incident command and dispatch.  Unless deemed a crime scene, evidence pertaining to an accidental fire should be documented and left in place, exactly in the location it was found, unless there is a strong probability that the evidence may be destroyed. Crime scene evidence shall be documented by a sketch and photographs, and turned over to a Police Detective / Evidence Technician. ORIGIN AND CAUSE REPORTING Incidents that do not require a certified fire investigator to the scene, the Incident Commander has the responsibility to report any known fire origin and cause information in the appropriate areas of the fire report. These incidents shall include any fire loss in an appliance, stove, cars, rubbish, etc. The narrative portion of the fire report shall include information supporting the origin and cause determination. Photos shall be taken and included in the fire report. The Incident Commander will send an on shift investigator and fire investigations division head a notification that there was a fire or fire loss. The on shift fire investigator will complete a BATS fire investigation report and any necessary follow-up. When a fire incident is being investigated by a Fire Investigator, a Fire Investigation Status Report shall be completed by the assigned investigator(s) by the next business day and copies forwarded to the Deputy Fire Chief of Operations and head of the Fire Investigation Division. Fire Investigators should follow up with the insurance company to get an accurate dollar loss value. A Fire Investigation Report shall be completed within 30 days, by the assigned investigator(s) for all fires. Further addendums shall be added at a later date. The investigative report including a sketch, photographs, and photo log shall be forwarded to the head of the Fire Investigation Division for approval. The final investigative report will be attached to the NFIRS report by the head of the Fire Investigation Division. A Consent for Fire Scene Examination Form is included with this policy. It is to be used by the Investigator when the scene has been turned back over to the property owner, for the purposes of enabling the Investigator to re-enter the property after having left the scene for additional investigation. EXCEPTIONS REFERENCES 3  HOFFMAN ESTATES FIRE DEPARTMENT CONSENT FOR FIRE SCENE EXAMINATION I, ______________________________________________________________________ have (name) been requested to consent to an examination of my property at: (full description of property and complete address) This fire scene examination will be conducted in order to determine the origin, cause and circumstances surrounding a fire/explosion which occurred at this property on ___________________________, ____________________________, ______________________ (day) (date) (time) I am the lawful owner/occupant/agent of this property and have the authority to consent to this examination. I am further advised that if I do consent to an examination, any evidence found as a result of such an examination can be seized and used in a court of appropriate jurisdiction, and that I may withdraw my consent at anytime prior to the conclusion of the fire/explosion scene examination, and authorize: (name) (rank/title) Hoffman Estates Fire Department (full name of authorized agency conducting examination) to conduct a complete fire/explosion examination of the herein property. Further permission is granted to remove from this property any document, papers, objects or other materials deemed pertinent to the investigation of this fire/explosion. ___________________________________________ (signed) (date) Witnesses: ___________________________________________________ (signed) (date) ___________________________________________________ (signed) (date) 4  HOFFMAN ESTATES FIRE DEPARTMENT FIRE INVESTIGATION STATUS REPORT Incident Number _______________________________ Date: _________________________ Address _______________________________________________________________________ Investigator(s) __________________________________________________________________ Time of Alarm ____________________ Time on Scene _______________________________ Other assisting agencies____________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ Preliminary Findings _____________________________________________________________ Area of Origin __________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ Cause _________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ Comments _____________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ c: Fire Prevention Bureau Manager Fire Investigation Division - Division Head End of Document 5