ADVANCED FIRE CAUSE DETERMINATION AND INVESTIGATION COURSE

(External Distribution)

In early 2002, the Office of the Fire Marshal (OFM) will be conducting a pilot course entitled Advanced Fire Cause Determination and Investigation. The course, currently being developed, will enable municipalities to further develop the skills and expertise required to accurately determine the origin, causes and circumstances of fires. By obtaining more accurate and complete information about fires in their jurisdiction, municipalities are in a better position to identify local trends in fire occurrences, thus enabling them to respond with appropriate public education and fire prevention programs.

The OFM investigates approximately 5% of all fires that occur in Ontario. The fires investigated by the OFM fall within the following categories:

all fatal fires or where there are life threatening injuries;
gaseous explosions;
suspected incendiary fires;
large fires with property losses exceeding $500,000;
fire of unusual origin or circumstances, e.g., unusual fire/smoke spread, environmental hazard; and
multi-unit residential occupancies where fire spread is beyond unit of origin.

The OFM investigates all reported fatal fires or where there are life threatening injuries, and all gaseous explosions. The remaining categories, c. to f., may or may not be investigated all of the time depending on the nature of the incident and/or the availability of OFM fire investigators.

The Advanced Fire Cause Determination and Investigation course will complement the OFM Fire Cause Determination course that has been offered province-wide for the past three years. It will further increase the skills and knowledge of the fire services that have the responsibility of investigating fire occurrences within their jurisdiction.

The City of Toronto, the Regional Municipality of Waterloo and the Regional Municipality of York will be the participants in the pilot course, scheduled to begin in January and completed by April of 2002. Course fees have been waived for the three participating municipalities in return for their assistance with program evaluation.

The OFM will decide whether to include this course as a permanent Ontario Fire College course based on the evaluation of the pilot course once it has been completed.

Course description

The course will consist of classroom and practical activities, home study and assignments. Course outcomes will satisfy selected Ontario Fire Service Standards - Deputy Fire Chief, Senior Officer Company Officer and Fire Prevention Officer - part of the OFM Fire Investigator Standards, OFM policies and procedures, NFPA 1033 and some of the guidelines of NFPA 921.

The course will prepare participants to thoroughly examine a fire scene, participate as a member of a fire investigation team, accurately determine the origin and cause of fires where possible, and detect evidence indicating criminal activity. Topics covered include: origin and cause determination, legal proceedings, media relations, safety at the scene of an investigation, vehicle/boat fire investigations, fraud, canine assistance, assistance of other agencies, and preservation of fatal and explosion scenes.

In terms of delivery, students will have two choices:

Option 1 - theory and practical exercises only:

this option involves attending a three-week course of advanced theory instruction and workshops. Upon successful completion of the course, participants will have in-depth knowledge on how to conduct a fire investigation effectively. Learning will be evaluated through written tests and assignments. Upon satisfactory completion, participants will receive an Ontario Fire College Certificate of Achievement, noting successful completion of the theory component.

Option 2 - theory + practical exercises and skills assessment:

this option consists of a three-week course of advanced theory and one week of skills assessment using fire and court simulations. These simulations provide students with an opportunity to participate in a variety of exercises and gain valuable practical experience. Option 2 also includes final theory and skills testing, as well as post-course assessment and feedback on initial investigation reports which participants must submit in order to complete the course.

An individual who first completes Option 1, may apply at a later date to take the additional week of skills assessment and testing through simulations.

Upon satisfactory completion, participants will receive an Ontario Fire College Certificate of Achievement, noting successful completion of theory and skills components.

The OFM is in the process of determining the course’s credit status with Ontario Fire College programs. The OFM will also seek accreditation of the course to the NFPA 1033 standard from the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC).

Course admission

Students must be members of the Ontario Fire Service. Police officers currently assigned to arson investigations or who will be assigned to arson investigations may also apply for admission to the course.

The fire/police department must:

obtain OFM approval to participate in the program;
have qualified full-time staff assigned to fire investigation duties, or arson investigation duties in the case of police; and
sign a Letter of Understanding, which will include an agreement to maintain confidentiality of training material supplied by the OFM

Prerequisites are:

successful completion of the OFM Fire Cause Determination course;
two years of active service in the field of fire cause/arson determination.

The fire/police chief must confirm that the applicant has fulfilled these two conditions.

In cases where an applicant is not a full-time staff member or who does not have the complete required two years of active service specified above, the fire/police chief may ask in writing for special consideration for this individual. The applicant’s resume, outlining previous experience and current responsibilities, should accompany this request.

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