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Unit 10: Forensic Fire Inves ga on
Aim C: Understand methods involved in processing a re scene and the role played by other agencies in
re preven on and inves ga on
Assignment report: Methods of re inves ga on and agencies involved
Introduc on
As a part of this unit, we were able to apply our knowledge of the role of a crime scene inves gator (CSI)
and the procedures they follow in order to collect and preserve evidence to that of a re scene. This
includes considering safety precau ons, observa ons and recordings at a crime scene, preserving con nuity
and integrity of ndings, analysing certain characteris cs of evidence and more - all of which crucial when
presen ng forensic evidence to a court. Unique to this sec on of the unit, we had to consider other
agencies involved in securing and processing the crime scene such as re services, and how it is important
that this informa on is passed on correctly throughout the process. Fire scenes are generally treated as
crime scenes un l an inves gator says otherwise. Arguably, it is even more important that forensic
inves gators take great care when approaching a re scene in par cular, as these typically contain more
harmful characteris cs such as toxic fumes, dangerous substances, unstable structures and more (this will
be expanded upon later). A CSI’s role in examining a re scene is therefore essen al in suppor ng the
criminal jus ce process and the determina on of the cause of a re; be it inten onal (arson) or accidental
as discussed in Aim B. In general forensic inves ga on, it is crucial that the correct documenta on methods
are carried out consistently and to the highest degree, allowing for a reliable record of evidence. In many
cases, poor scene documenta on or scene contamina on could lead to evidence being inadmissible in a
court of law. Correct scene preserva on, safety and documenta on ensures that those analysing the
evidence and the court can be con dent in the con nuity of the ndings and therefore possibly come to a
judgement of the proposed hypothesis based on this.
Restric on of access
A er a re has been ex nguished, a crime scene will be secured by the uniformed police o cer who rst
a ended the scene, or if not, the CSI will cordon o the scene to ensure that no person can access it once it
has been secured. The re brigade will pass on any relevant informa on to the police such as the
movement of any objects and who has entered/le the scene. A er these steps, the scene is ”owned” by
the police and will not be available to its original owner un l its been examined and all physical evidence
has been removed. In some cases, the scene is le too damaged to be returned to. In par cularly serious
cases, an outer and inner cordon may need to be established; the inner surrounding the core of the scene
(where a deceased person may lie), and the outer surrounding the wider area. The CSIs work within the
con nes of the property to be examined.
Fire scene safety and risk assessment
• The role of re services
Services such as the re brigade have to adhere to speci c regula ons and procedures when assessing the
safety of a re scene and how to address poten al risks. This is crucial as although all scenes require a risk
assessment, re scenes require par cular cau ons and mi ga ons; its purpose is to determine whether
exis ng re precau ons are adequate and reasonable rela ve to the overall risks presented or if it requires
reduc on via control measures. A general risk assessment is formulated for all re scenes, and a dynamic
risk assessment is carried out on the speci c scene.
The following re safety informa on for a general risk assessment is derived from the re safety guidance
issued by the safety sec on, June 2013 [1]
The phrase ‘Fire Risk’ can be de ned as the likelihood of a re occurring mul plied by the severity of the
re i.e. the ‘harm poten al’ and consequences in terms of loss of life, re spread, damage etc. The harm
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poten al from a re hazard depends on the poten al for development of a re origina ng from the hazard
and then the poten al consequences in terms of life and/or property loss. Determining the poten al for
harm requires the assessor to make a judgement on the possible outcome of the hazard. The poten al for
igni on is the rst considera on, but thought must also be given to the number of mes the situa on could
occur and the factors that could cause it to occur; for example, the competence of people involved,
environmental condi ons and the condi on of equipment. Factors such as building construc on
(combus ble materials and/or lack of compartmenta on) and contents (combus ble and/or ammable
materials which will provide fuel) will also impact on this.
A re risk assessment must ful l a number of criteria:
- Be a suitable and su cient assessment of the re risk
- Include signi cant ndings and measures to reduce and manage the risk from re
- Iden fy any group of persons especially at risk
- Be a wri en record (when there are ve or more employees)
- Be reviewed regularly to meet changes in the premises, technical and
- organisa onal measures, work processes and rou nes etc.
The risk assessment process consists of ve steps.
Step 1 – Iden fy the re hazards within the premises:
- sources of igni on such as naked ames or heaters
- sources of fuel such as waste products, display materials, tex les or overstocked products
- sources of oxygen such as air condi oning systems or medical or commercial oxygen supplies
- consider structural features such as ducts and ues; large areas of combus ble materials; open roof
spaces; excessively long escape routes etc.
Step 2 – Iden fy the people at risk:
- Anyone who may be asleep on the premises
- Those present in large numbers
- Those who are unfamiliar with the layout
- Those exposed to a speci c re risk
- Those who have impaired sight, hearing, mobility or any other disability
- People working near to re dangers
- People working alone or in remote or isolated areas (e.g. roof spaces
- or storerooms)
- Children or parents with babies
- The elderly
- Any people unable to react quickly
- External contractors, agency and temporary sta
Step 3 – Evaluate and decide if the exis ng re safety arrangements are sa sfactory or need improving:
This is done by rstly determining the risk of a re occurring, marked as low, medium or high. Secondly, the
poten al consequences if a re was to occur are taken into account, marked as slight harm, moderate harm
or extreme harm. This informa on is collaborated and put into tables as follows to determine the overall
risk ra ng:
[1]
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