When a fire occurs there is always work to be done afterward by Fire Investigators. They collect evidence at the scene, interview people who witnessed the fire and they prepare reports that describe the facts and conclusions drawn from the investigation. In some cases the Fire Investigator will testify in court especially if the cause of the fire is suspect. Perhaps it was neglectfulness or oversight that started the fire. The investigator delves into evidence that indicates if the fire was accidental or started purposefully to collect insurance money.
Who employs these ''Fire Cops'' and what special training do they need? One primary employer is the Insurance Company because they insure property which can be damaged by fire. The Fire Investigators for insurance companies will make inquires into fires if they are thought to be questionable and they seek to prevent insurance scams.
Here are some other titles for Fire Investigators depending on the field in which services are performed and titles for contracted specialists:
- Government Property Inspector or Investigator
- Product Safety Engineer
- Occupational Health and safety Specialist
- Fire Inspector
- Police Detective
- Criminal Investigators or Special Agents
- Transit or Railroad Police
- Private Detectives or Private Investigator.
Occupations that involve investigation require an individual to do an extensive amount of thinking and quite often engage one in idea development and problem solving. The occupation of Fire Investigator will involve probing for the evidence and deducing the scenario mentally.
Fire Investigation requires no formal training but there are a growing number of applicants that complete some courses in Fire Investigation or obtain an associate’s degree. There are usually no educational requirements because new recruits get training at a firefighting academy which only takes a few weeks. The training reviews new recruits with:
- Local building codes
- Fire fighting techniques
- Fire prevention
- Emergency medical procedures
- CPR and First Aid.
The US National Fire Academy also offers training for interested candidates.
The salaries for a Fire Investigator depend on the employer, location, training, experience and possible education. Based on all these factors salaries range from $59K to $125K. The job outlook is better than average with a 13% growth rate expected until 2016 by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics.
The public knows very little about Fire Investigators says Rick Moore. ''…people who, after years of knocking down fires and getting covered in soot, trade in their fire gear for a plain clothes job that's closer to that of a police detective. But instead of investigating robberies and homicides, they go after those who set fires in the name of anger, desperation or pleasure. I get the best of both worlds. I get to be a firefighter and I get to be a cop.''
Rick Moore has worked as a plain clothes man doing fire investigation for about 10 years. He says that sometime it doesn’t work to his advantage. He once chased a suspect, pulled him over, showed his badge and his gun but the suspect did not succumb until police reinforcement showed up.
References:
- ''Fire Investigator'' © copyright 2003–2009. degreedirectory.org.
- ''Fire Investigators Are Firefighters with Guns and Badges'' 2009 e-Firefighter, LLC.
- ''Fire Investigators'' © Copyright 2003-2009 EarnMyDegree.com.
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