Fire Investigation Unit
I.C. 36-8-17 requires a fire department to "investigate and determine the causes and circumstances surrounding each fire occurring within the territory served by the Fire Department." The Fire Investigation Unit consists of six five investigators specifically trained to meet NFPA 1033 Professional Qualifications for Fire Investigators. Our fire investigators work in teams of two and are on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week to respond to:
- all fires declared "working incidents",
- any fire resulting in serious bodily injury or death of a civilian and/or firefighter,
- any fire believed to be intentionally set, or
- when the origin and/or cause of a fire is unknown.
The primary responsibility of the fire investigator is to determine the origin and cause of a fire. Fire investigators use NFPA 921 as a guide when conducting fire scene investigations. Fire causes are determined to be in one of four categories:
- Incendiary - Fires that are intentionally and maliciously set
- Accidental - Fires caused by non-malicious electrical, mechanical, chemical, nuclear and/or careless means
- Undetermined - Fires that may have more than one possible ignition source and therefore cannot prove one definitive source of a single ignition point
- Natural - Fires ignited by acts of nature, such as lightning
Obtaining Fire Reports
Copies of fire reports can be obtained at the Fire Prevention Bureau located at the Fire Department Headquarters, 311 Production Drive, Avon, IN 46123. The fee is $5.00, payable by cash, check, or money order. You can also request your fire report online.
Reporting Arson Crimes
Citizens with information of an arson crime are urged to contact the Fire Investigation Unit at (317) 272-2155 and ask to speak with an investigator. Indiana's Arson Hotline (800) 382-4628 allows the public to anonymously report crimes via an answering machine.
