Please see link in new page opposite. Any suggestions or contributions to this new group will be very welcome and will be passed on.
The background is that major fire investigation is well removed from level 2 and 3 and that we appear to be learning on our feet as and when major incidents occur. The group will seek to find common ground or procedure that any Police or Fire Authority can use as a template.
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Dave, this is a problem internationally, the biggest problem being the manner in which some aspects of the fire are either not investigated or overlooked. Having been involved in one recently at a very late stage (five years after the event!) one of the things that really did leap out was the fact that there was very little attention given in the early investigation to co-ordinating the knowledge held and to the investigation of some of the wider issues exposed by information give and not followed up.
ReplyDeleteInevitably there is a certain degree of 'protectionism' involved as some investigators 'look after the interests' of their principals. There is also a tendency among some members of the profession to discount anything not supported by a 'model' or by some 'scientific precept' which quite often ignores something quite basic and which is not usually present i a laboratory situation. I suggest that any Major Investigation should include a mixed skills team and covers -
Operation of the site/premises prior to the event,
Changes to layout, strutcure, operations or materials prior to the event
Operations on the day
Fire fighting tactics, strategies and actions at the scene
Emergency plans and their implementation
The establishment of an Incident Room in which all - and I mean ALL - information concerning the site can be assembled and examined by all the team
Analysis of all aspects by the full team
The team should include -
Fire service representatives,
Structural experts
Fire behaviour specialists
Specialists is particular operations or appliances as necessary
Personnel who specialise in the collation and preservation of evidence
Recording and data entry personnel
Analysts and evaluators
Laboratory specialists
Mt ha'penny worth anyway.