By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Hays Fire Department hosted 17 firefighters and law enforcement officers for an intensive fire investigation course during the last two weeks.
On Wednesday, instructors burned three cars and three furniture and appliance cells to give the class members opportunities to practice fire investigation hands-on.
"We're learning to look at fires a little bit differently," Shane Preston, Hays deputy fire chief, said. "We go and put them out, but what we're trying to get more in-depth into what happened.
"Our biggest focus when we investigate these fires is 'Is it something preventable?'"
When a fire is caused by a malfunctioning appliance or a defect in a vehicle, those instances are reported to the insurance company and can contribute to recalls.
The investigators are also looking for intentionally set fires, Preston said.
"How do we go about doing that correctly to build a case to take it before a court?" he said.
The investigators learned about proper documentation and detection of burn patterns. They saw a demonstration from dogs that can detect accelerants.
The students learned about electricity and fire, explosions, interviews and interrogations, and wildfires.
"We're looking at burn patterns and all the little details normally we haven't been looking at," Preston said. "We're getting a little more focused on that."
Instructors placed data collection devices in the furniture/appliance burn cells. These devices record the heat during the fires and help track smoke patterns.
Preston said this data helps in the investigation of fires, as well as in prevention and firefighting. The data helps firefighters know where to attack the fire and areas that need to be cooled inside the fire.
"We'll apply that information to our frontline firefighters who will be going in," he said.
Members of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were on hand to discuss how the ATF can assist local fire and law enforcement agencies in investigating large-scale fires.
The training was attended by members of the Hays Fire Department, Ellis County Fire Department, Hays Police Department, Ellis County Sheriff's Department, and staff from Russell, Topeka, and the fire marshall's office.
