Mobile Arson Lab
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ARSON INVESTIGATION
Kentucky’s specially equipped investigation unit responds statewide to suspicious fire incidents.
STAFF REPORT
Not yet a year old, a special investigation unit is helping to deter arson in certain areas of Kentucky.
Operating out of a specially equipped vehicle, investigation teams respond “statewide to calls by local officials resporting a suspicious fire. Due to its extensive response district, the unit’s Arrival time can be as long as six hours, in which event the fire scene is secured to keep possible evidence from being destroyed.
There are a total of 17 arson investigators throughout the state of Kentucky working with the state fire marshal’s office. These investigators are called to incidents via a paging system. Radios and telephones are also used in the event an investigator does not have his pager activated.
Working in conjunction with other state agencies and local authorities, the investigators do a complete overview of the scene, explains Chief Deputy Fire Marshal G. Morgan Kelly. The fire scene is surveyed, burn patterns are determined, and lab samples are taken. Leads are developed by interviewing firefighters and local residents, and checks are made for any previously “suspicious” or “incendiary” fires by examining the fire report data collected by Kentucky’s 12-city micro-computer network.
This data base enables the investigators to detect any patterns of arson emerging in an area and concentrate their efforts where they are most needed. Depending on the size of the incident, two to ten investigators are sent to the fire scene.
In service 24 hours a day, the arson investigation vehicle, based out of Frankfort, was put into operation last December. The vehicle serves not only as a means of transporting manpower and equipment, but has proven to be a rolling billboard as well, says Chief Kelly. “One of the things the investigators found is that civilians in the affected area are willing to come forward and talk. The highly visible investigation vehicle seems to attract people, as opposed to the unmarked cars that investigators had responded in previously.”
The vehicle, called an AIU-900, is equipped with specialized equipment for complete arson scene investigation. The vehicle, housed in a modified hicube van, features 100-volt AC power with on-board generator, running water, and refrigerator. Among the many kits and equipment contained on this van are gas, liquid, and solid evidence collection kits, ultraviolet lighting equipment, and tire and footprint evidential casting materials. Debris sifting screens and hydrocarbon detectors are also part of the package.
The vehicle manufacturer, Sirchie Fingerprint Laboratories’ Special Vehicle Division, offers a training course that focuses on arson and crime scene technology, emphasizing hands-on use of equipment. Open to all qualified personnel, the course is given once a month on a demand basis. Due to the intensive training, only 10 to 15 students are permitted to take the class at a time. (For more information on Sirchie’s vehicle and arson training program, contact Anthony A. Saggiomo, chief executive officer, Sirchie Fingerprint Laboratories, Special Vehicle Division, P.O. Box 34, Gravelly Hollow Road, Medford, NJ 08055.)
The Kentucky state fire marshal’s office also uses the vehicle to hold weekly training courses for local fire and police personnel. Training includes both investigation and law enforcement skills.
courtesy of Niklas and Hayes Associates
Funding for this vehicle came from the Independent Insurance Agents of Kentucky, a nonprofit organization which is part of the Independent Insurance Agents of America. Independent Insurance Agents of Kentucky organized a committee and approached the insurance companies and local insurance agents that do business in the state and asked them for contributions.
The fund raising campaign allowed the Independent Insurance Agents to purchase the vehicle and turn it over to the fire marshal’s office. An additional $250,000 is being collected, which will go for three additional investigation units (expected to be in operation in the next two years) and to help fund public education and awareness programs and set up a toll-free arson hotline. When the new vehicles come on line, it is estimated that there will be no more than a two-hour response time to any area in the state, says Chief Kelly.
“As concerned insurance agents, we realized the highly beneficial effect that arson control could have on the sums paid out by the insurance companies our agents represent,” says Jack Keyser, executive vice-president of Independent Insurance Agents of Kentucky.
At presstime, statistics were not available as to the effectiveness of this investigation unit in deterring arson. The marshal’s office will compile a report at the end of this year, but already there has been measurable success in local areas, says Chief Kelly.
