Fire Investigations

Investigation Badge 001

The Dodge City Fire Department is charged with all fire investigations  for cause determination in the City of Dodge City.  The department keeps 4 state certified fire investigators on its staff under the direction of Chief Ken Spencer  who continuously train to maintain their qualifications adhering to NFPA 1033 Standard for Qualifications for Fire Investigators. One of the challenging aspects of fire investigation is the multi-disciplinary basis of the job. As fires can be caused by or involve many ignition sources and fuels, fire investigators need to know not only the science of fire behavior, but also to have a working understanding of many different areas of study including construction, electricity, human behavior, and mechanical devices

Fire investigators use a systematic approach on all fire investigations using the scientific method.  This provides the investigators the organizational and analytical processes necessary to find the cause of a fire.        
Why Are All Fires Investigated
All fires are investigated to find the cause in order to help with fire prevention in the future.  Once it is determined whether the cause was arson or accidental the investigation goes in one of two directions.  If the fire is arson then the Dodge City Fire Department Investigators will work closely with Dodge City Police, State Fire Marshal Investigators or the ATF to assist in finding the person or persons involved depending on the complexity or severity of the arson.  If it is accidental then fire investigators will use the information found in the cause of the fire to help through public education and possible code changes to prevent future fires.   
fire investigation
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