NCJ Number
200748
Date Published
2003
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This article examines the importance of fire safety training for fire investigators.
Abstract
The author contends that one of the most overlooked areas of fire training is safety training for fire investigators. In fact, few organizations consider this type of safety training a priority. The author directs the reader to the National Fire Protection Association’s Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health Program, as an excellent guide for law enforcement organizations who want to assess their fire safety programs or who need to develop effective fire safety programs. The author then explains some of the major hazards facing fire investigators in the course of the work, such as physical hazards, atmospheric hazards, heavy equipment hazards, and electrical hazards. Finally, the author reviews the five-step structured safety model presented in the fire scene risk assessment and management model. Step one involves recognizing the potential safety and health threats at a fire scene; step two involves evaluating the scene for hazard information; step three involves implementing a safety site plan; step four involves the constant verification of the safety plan and the fire scene for additional hazards that may have been overlooked; and step five is the process of documenting the results of the fire investigation. In conclusion, the author asserts that all fire management personnel and fire investigators have a responsibility to recognizing the potential physical, chemical, and biological hazards that abound at the scene of a fire.