|
Investigations
 The
Raytown Fire District investigates all fires. If there is a
need for an in-depth investigation due to the nature of the
fire, suspicious nature or unexplained cause of the fire, a
more thorough investigation will be done. As the responsible
authority having jurisdiction, the Raytown Fire Protection
District, with the help of the Detective Division of the
Raytown Police Department will investigate the cause, origin
and circumstances of any fire, explosion, other hazardous
condition, multiple civilian or firefighter injuries or any
fatality. Other agencies have assisted with the
investigation such as the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
(ATF) and the State of Missouri Fire Marshal's Office. Part
of the Fire District's responsibility is to inform the
City's Code Enforcement Office of structural or building
component damage. A separate investigation by Codes
Enforcement maybe undertaken if conditions prior to a fire
were a significant cause to the fire, fire or smoke spread,
or building collapse.
A building maybe posted as a dangerous structure after a fire if it does
not meet building or life safety standards under the city code.
Fire Reports:
If you are
requesting a copy of a fire report,
you can come to the headquarters station and pick it up or
we will mail you a copy. Cost is a dollar per page, plus
postage that must be paid before a report is released. There
is a minimum of three pages per report. Those three reports
include the basic fire report, complete narrative, and
property involvement. Additional information is available on
response data, causality information and many other types of
reports.
Emergency
Medical reports are not released without a signed
authorization release of information form. Primarily, this
form is signed by the patient. For patients that are minors,
parents or legal guardians may sign. These forms are usually
available through your medical insurance provider. Prior to
release, these reports are verified by proper identification
and relationship to the person that was treated. To protect
the privacy of the patient, information will not be released
to any other person. These reports must be picked up in
person, we will not mail these reports.
Investigation
reports are not considered public documents. Copies are made
only through insurance companies or attorney's offices after
a request for that report is given clearance from the
Jackson County Prosecutor's Office. Their number is (816)
881-3555.
State
Certification
Currently the
Fire districts investigators are certified with the State
Fire Marshal's office. Their training is IFSAC recognized
and meets current National Fire Protection Association's
(NFPA) standard.
Raytown Fire
Investigative Unit
The Raytown Fire
Investigative Unit is made up of 5 fire service personnel
and 2 Raytown Police Department Detectives. Case loads are
managed by the Fire Marshal who oversees the investigation
and investigation reports before they are submitted.
Archive of reports are located within the Police Department.
Some
of the professional organizations that the Raytown
Investigation Unit members belong to:
Kansas City
Arson Task Force
Kansas
City Police
Bomb & Arson Unit
1200 E. Linwood
Kansas City, Missouri 64109
PFFIA
Professional Fire and Fraud Investigators
Association (PFFIA)
has approximately 400 active members throughout Missouri and
surrounding states. These investigators represent the fire
service, law enforcement, and private industry.
IAAI
International
Association of Arson Investigators, Inc.
 Missouri
Division of Fire Safety
1709
Industrial Drive
P.O. Box 844
Jefferson City, MO 65102
573-751-2930 FAX 573-751-1744
The state
fire marshal and the marshal's paid investigators, who have
attained proper certification as peace officers pursuant to
chapter 590, R.S.Mo., as approved by the director of the
department of public safety shall be deemed to be peace
officers and shall notify the local law enforcement agency
of the existence of the investigators and shall have the
power of arrest for all offenses incident to the
investigation of the cause, origin, or circumstances of
fire, explosions, or like occurrences involving the possibility
of arson, or related offenses, and in connection with any
offenses when aiding and assisting the sheriff of any county
or the chief of police of any municipality, or their
designated representatives, at their request.
The
Division also has three specially trained accelerant
detection canine teams and two explosive detection canine
teams. A trained accelerant detection canine can be
brought into a burned building and determine if the remains
of any liquid accelerants are present or a trained explosive
detection canine can be brought to a fire scene to determine
if an explosive device or product had been used.
NFPA standards
Use their
search line for "Fire Investigator to view the
standard. The standard for investigator is NFPA 1033. |
