Forensics Journal - Stevenson University 2014 | Page 35

STEVENSON UNIVERSITY

Chief Aurnhammer identified another warning sign of firefighter
arson as “sudden increases in the number of fires or severity of blazes
(Lee). The FBI found “a ‘tell-tale’ sign that a firefighter may be setting
fires is a sudden increase in nuisance fires within a company’s ‘first
due’ area” (United States Fire Administration 1).1

to respond to every fire call, day and night (“Report on Firefighter
Arson” 22).
911 AND DISPATCH RECORDS: Firefighter arsonists have been
known to report the fires that they started to ensure “that they were
able to participate in the suppression effort” (“Report on Firefighter
Arson” 22). Some firefighter arsonists have “raised the suspicions
of dispatchers by referring to them by their first name, by using fire
department codes, and even leaving their fire pager on high volume
so the dispatcher could hear it in the background” (“Report on
Firefighter Arson” 22). Dispatch and 911 recordings should always be
reviewed and preserved early in any arson investigation.

In a Louisiana case, a single rural fire department responded to over
five hundred fire-related calls in one twelve month period. At the
end of that twelve month period, the ten firefighters were arrested
for arson. During the next twelve month period, the fire department
ran only sixty-four calls, including for the first time ever, emergency
medical first responder calls (Hebert). Fire chiefs should pay close
attention to sudden and sustained jumps in call volume and quickly
notify investigative authorities so that the problem can be addressed.

ORIGIN AND CAUSE INVESTIGATION: Huff recommends that
at least “a cursory investigation” is conducted “of every fire regardless
of the size” (as many firefighter arsonists begin setting small fires
“before graduating to larger and more dangerous fires”) (“Report
on Firefighter Arson” 21). Unfortunately, limited resources often
make investigating the origin and cause of every fire an unrealistic
expectation. However, fire investigators should at least develop
systems to identify trends.

INVESTIGATING THE FIREFIGHTER ARSONIST
As soon as it becomes evident that a firefighter arsonist may be at
work, it is critical that a coordinated, effective and timely investigation is initiated. Successfully investigating and apprehending a
firefighter arsonist requires close cooperation among the fire service,
law enforcement and dispatch personnel; data collection and analysis;
review of 911 and dispatch records; use of technology; and effective
interviewing and interrogation skills.

The Knox County, Tennessee Fire Investigation Unit (KCFIU) is
responsible for conducting origin and cause investigations and fire
related criminal investigations in Knox County, TN. The KCFIU
covers a county of over five hundred square miles. Although KCFIU
investigators respond to every confirmed structure fire, they do not
have the resources to respond to every car, brush or trash fire. However, to ensure that potential serial arsonists are identified early, the
KCFIU receives a daily report from the county dispatch center that
provides basic details about every fire related call that occurred in the
county during the previous twenty-four hours. KCFIU investigators examine the report daily, looking for trends. When a pattern of
serial fire setting is identified, KCFIU investigators concentrate their
efforts on the area of increased fire activity. This program has led to
several arrests and could be a useful