Investigating fire-related events

In the case of a serious fire in the workplace it is inevitable that the Fire Service will conduct its own investigation. Where the Fire Service consider a fire to have been deliberately set, the police will be involved with forensic investigation of the fire in order to detect the persons responsible. 

If the fire has resulted in a death, the Coroners Court will conduct its own investigation in order to determine the exact cause of the death. 

In practice, investigating a fire in the workplace will follow exactly the same principles as described previously in this chapter. The information in this section is provided to allow those with a responsibility for the management of fire safety in the workplace to develop an understanding of the basic principles of fire investigation. 

There are three distinct types of fire-related incident that should be investigated in order to prevent a recurrence accidental fires, deliberately set fires and false alarms. 

In the UK in 2003 there were 312000 accidental fires reported to Fire Services. Analysis of the supposed 

---

Investigating fire-related events >- Basic fire investigation procedures >- Dealing with the aftermath. 

The two types of fire-related events that are covered in these notes are false alarms and fires. As with other adverse events the basic procedure for investigating false alarms and fires involves a number of steps, starting with an assessment of the level of investigation that is required and concluding with the implementation of an agreed action plan ... 

The apparently superficial differences in vocabulary in this exchange may reflect deeper assumptions about language and safety. Miners locate themselves in relation to physical objects, events, and conditions. Investigators locate these same objects, events, and conditions as two-dimensional coordinates on a mine map. Miners describe themselves in relation to the bleeder line. Investigators call the section the number one entry of the first left section. Miners say timber. Investigators say post. These differences reflect underlying differences in viewpoint that reflect deeper assumptions about risk and safety. The bleeder describes a critical component of the mine s ventilation system. The first left section describes the section in relation to the mine s plan of development. The number of the section reveals little about the ventilation system. As a result, it tells us little about the potential hazard or benefit of a particular location in a crisis. In a fire, for example, miners could use the direction of air flow in the bleeder to help them locate an exit. 

---