Fire Investigation and Fire Protection Service - Coursework Example

Fire Investigation Student’s Name: Presented To: Course: Date: Introduction In this research/assessment paper the feasibility of establishing a comprehensive fire investigation procedure is looked with the objective to act as a benchmark in determining the origin and the cause of all fires. Such fire investigation procedure is useful in enabling fire investigation team in various institution as well as any other fire suppression personnel involved in fire investigation to successfully fire under investigation. In the first section the assessment report explains the first stage in writing a fire investigation report which should be comprehensive description of premises involved. Secondly it has also focused at incidences that happen before and after the arrival of fire service or fire suppression personnel. In the third section, steps which should be taken the origin and course of fire which subsequent spread are focused. Lastly, the discovery of fire as well as the details of fire service that has been maintains the premises in question are explained. This is coupled with the response the fire service offers during fire incidence on one of its clientele premises. The purpose of this assessment report is to indentify the need for instituting and implementing a fire investigation procedure. In this regard, literature review based assessment is done to establish various fire investigation procedure their extent and scope. Description of Premises In writing a fire investigation report it is critical to first describe the premises involved sufficiently. This should go hand in hand with the details of the incidence. In this respect the physical address of the entity involved, date of call to the fire service (or fire suppression personnel), time when the call was made and various organizations involved in the fire investigation should be documented (Avan Fire and Rescue Service 2008). In describing the premises it is necessary to outline the purpose of the premises, .residential or commercial and the type of activities that goes on daily (White 2008). Besides the physical layout of the building in terms sections for instance front section, tower section and courtyard are necessary to put into consideration.ref1 Any other premises adjacent to the building in question need to be described (White 2008). On the other hand, the architectural design of the premises with relation to how the construction was done, for instance use of cast iron columns, roofing type, UPVC clouding etc need to be documented ((Avan Fire and Rescue Service 2008). It is important to divide the premises into sections with labeling such as North, South, East, West and South corners or towers. This facilitates sufficient analysis of each section’s activities equipment, fire proof controls and electric installation etc (Ibid 2008). Fire Protection Service It is necessary to describe the fire protection mechanism applied within the premises. This entails the type of fire alarm system and generally accepted standards such as British standards 5839 part 1 used to install it (Ibid, 2008, p 11). In this regard it is necessary to explain where the indicators of the fire alarm system are situated prior to the incidence. Besides establishing the robustness of the fire alarm system with respect to either smoke or heat detection and manual call points is vital. On the other hand, the investigation requires establishing whether or not the fire alarm was audible. This would mean it had the capacity to continue operating once it was triggered up to when it is reset. The occurrence of electrical interruptions needs to be taken care of by a battery power supply power back up located within the indicator panel. The time within which the backup power supply can sustain an audible alarm is also important to establish. Subsequently the linkage between the fire alarm system within the premises and the monitoring system located in the in the fire service company is paramount as it assist in real time response. The fire alarm system thus needs to automatically send distress call or signal. ((Ibid, 2008). Fire Incidence Narrative During fire investigation procedure the fire incident narrative before and after arrival of the fire service is of much significance. This part of the report tries to gather evidence and to establish who may be responsible either in coursing the fire or a person due to an act of omission or commission facilitated in causing the incidence. Such basis can be useful in instituting litigation in the court of law. Prior to the arrival of the fire suppression personnel, the person in charge such as the administrator or security patrols in conjunction with the entity’s fire fighters if there is or they use own readily installed firefighting equipment, have the responsibility to initiate safe evacuation people within the premises, prompt notification of fire incidence to the fire service company or any other local authority as well initiating basic firefighting efforts (Marine Accident Investigation Branch 2006). Therefore in this sense, the fire investigation report needs to document initial fire identification procedures. This is mainly done through taking statements and interviewing persons who were present during the happening of the incidence. For instance who activated the manual call point alarm, at what time, which place had initial fire or smoke. The report may go on further to illustrate through use of drawings/plan layout of the fire incidence location (Ibid 2006). consequently, actions taken before arrival of fire service such as allocation of fire fighting appliances and other unfolding events on time basis i.e. development of five from a mere smoke into large visible flames (Avan Fire and Rescue Service 2008). Upon the arrival of the fire service commanders and crew, various actions that they take is vital for inclusion into fire investigation report. Majorly, it involves the fire fighting procedures that are undertaken as well as evacuation and salvage measures. The magnitude of what was observed and where for instance smoke, flames requires to be recorded. Besides, it should include the deployment of fire fighting crew (Avan Fire and Rescue Service 2008). Investigation into the Supposed Cause and Spread of Fire The main objective of fire investigation with subsequent analysis of evidence is to establish the contributory causes and the circumstances of fire incident as the basis upon which recommendations will be made at the end (Marine Accident Investigation Branch 2006). Techniques employed in fire investigation should encompass both engineering and science aspects. It is during investigation that emphasis on methods used to gather and preserve evidence as well as consistency should be incorporated into a standard operating procedure (Herrera 1999 p. 31). Duties and responsibilities of various individuals need to be recorded in the standard operating procedure (Joseph 2002). An agency involved in fire investigation needs also to partner with other professional agencies that may have expertise or specialized resources in other areas (Joseph 2002 p. 22). To determine the likely cause of the fire, a cross examination of the scene should be done (Ref 3). A parallel investigation by another fire service may be embarked on to facilitate comparison. The scene of the incident should be cordoned off with secure safety lines to avoid tamper with potential evidence as well as collapsing of remaining structures in case of a building. Particular focus should be on the area where first smoke or flames were noticed (REF 3 P. 16). A descriptive explanation or outline of each procedure or event during investigation should be documented. Besides this, reliable potential source of evidence can be taken photographs to strengthen any recommendations made. It is at investigation stage that earlier documented evidence such as accounts of eye witness and CCTV footage, if there is, should be closely examined to determine the initial visible signs of fire where fire emanated (REF 3, p. 17). A thorough physical scene examination on various appliances such as oven, microwaves and electrical gadgets (e.g. transformers and distribution panels) is also critical. There is need to establish whether such appliances that may be sources of fire among others were in sue during fire outbreak (REF 3, p. 18). It is at such instances where experts for instance engineers who installed various appliances are invited in order to evaluate if any information could be retrieved. Besides, forensic investigation comes in handy at this stage. In most cases, when premises are consumed by fire, the falling material/structures tend to form a pile of debris. It is therefore important to carefully excavate such debris while examining for any leading evidence (Avan Fire and Rescue Service 2008, p. 19). The extent of damage of material found in debris at various rooms or sections within the premises depicts a trend in origin and spread of the fire. It is not a wonder to find some gadgets untouched by fire. For instance, in Avan Fire and Rescue Service report ‘further excavation of the area leading to the kitchen door revealed a 2kg CO2 extinguisher, the safety pin was still in position’ (Ibid 2008, p. 20). Subsequently, it is critical to hire the services of a specialist to assess the development and behavior of fire. This can be done by observation of video and CCTV images. In case such images are not available, evidence attained from the debris can be evaluated (Ibid 2008, p. 25). In another perspective, it is important, during investigation, to try and establish the way in which the fire was identified. A historical study for the affected premises should be done to establish of there has been any other such disaster in the past. Besides, the firefighting equipment maintenance program of the fire service company should be assessed to establish whether it is up to date as well as it appropriateness with respect to various sections. At the end of the fire investigation, it is essential for the team involved in the investigation to draft probable opinions with respect to what may have caused the fire. Potential sources of ignition are for instance naked flame sources –lighter/matches/cigarettes-; gas supply; deliberate ignition/arson; self heating, electrical supply, distribution and installations another others. Mainly this is what the may be geared at being established during the raw investigation stages. Consequently, what the fire investigation team identifies as to be the probable causes of the fire should be used to make recommendations to the affected company. This as well is accompanied by preventive procedures which the particular company may use to avoid re-occurrence of fire. It is also necessary to document the probable actions which might or have been taken as a result of the findings by the fire investigation team. References Avan Fire and Rescue Service. 2008. Grand Pier Marine Parade Weston-super-Mare North Somerset, Fire investigation report no. BS23 1AL, Avon, UK, viewed 9 January 2011, . (REF 3). Herrera, F.1999, ‘Evidence collection, preservation & disposal’, Fire and Investigator, vol. 49, no. 4, pp.31-32 31. Joseph Pedrola 2002, Managing fire investigations scenes, douglas county fire district no. 2, roseburg, Oregon, viewed 9 January 2011, < http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/pdf/efop/efo33863.pdf >. (REF 2). Marine Accident Investigation Branch 2006, Report on the investigation of the fire onboard Star Princess off Jamaica, Fire investigation report no. 28/2006, Southampton, UK, viewed 9 January 2011, < http://www.maib.gov.uk/cms_resources/Star%20Princess.pdf>. (REF 4). White, G 2008, Vallejo Fire Department: Fire Prevention Division, NFIR 08-0007391, Vallejo, CA, viewed 9 January 2011, < http://ibvallejo.com/docs/Casa_final_redacted.pdf>. (REF 1). Read More