FIRE INVESTIGATION UNIT
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| Introduction |
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The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District provides full time, professional fire investigation services to many areas of the county. The Fire Investigation Unit (FIU) is supervised by a Fire Prevention Captain and there are two full time investigators. These three personnel provide 24 hour fire investigation coverage. The FIU provides investigation services to 20 cities with a population of approximately 625,000 covering 555 square miles.
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| Duties & Purpose |
The FIU determines the origin and cause of fires that occur in Contra Costa County, more specifically, fires or other incidents that are suspected to be criminal in nature.
The primary purpose of the Fire Investigation Unit is the investigation of fires that are intentionally set, suspicious fires, unlawful fires, attempted arson, fires causing a serious injury or death, and possession or use of fireworks, incendiary devices, and explosives. The duties and responsibilities of the FIU include: conducting interviews of suspects, victims and witnesses; sifting through fire debris to determine the origin of the fire; identifying possible ignition sources; collect and preserve physical evidence; document the fire scene with sketches and photographs; prepare, serve and return search warrants; prepare criminal fire offense cases for submittal to the District Attorney’s Office for complaints; arrest and process criminal offenders; give expert witness testimony and present evidence in court; process felony offenses committed by juveniles; instruct fire and police personnel on fire and arson investigation procedures; and respond to fire and/or rescue emergencies as required.
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| Statistical Information |
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2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
Total Fire Investigation Unit Cases |
571 |
541 |
591 |
Structure Fires |
119 |
119 |
109 |
Vehicle Fires |
111 |
121 |
109 |
Vegetation Fires |
144 |
109 |
102 |
Miscellaneous Fires |
161 |
163 |
255 |
Attempted Arson / Devices / Police Assists / Tampering |
36 |
29 |
8 |
Fatalities |
7 |
4** |
6 |
Injuries |
22 |
27 |
1 |
Juvenile Related Fires |
42 |
35 |
41 |
Fireworks Related Fires |
28 |
30 |
8 |
Estimated Dollar Loss |
$19,655,056 |
$25,061,837 |
$23,840,380 |
Criminal or Suspicious Fires |
445 |
425 |
410 |
Adults Identified* |
41 |
45 |
43 |
Juveniles Identified* |
20 |
9 |
9 |
* Number of incidents in which an adult or juvenile was identified as being responsible.
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Arson Tip Line Toll-free 1-866- 50-ARSON
1-866-502-7766
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| You can help the Fire District fight fires! Call the Arson Tip Line to leave a recorded message about fire-related criminal activity, in English or Spanish. You can leave an anonymous tip, but sometimes the Fire Investigator needs to call you back for more information, so we ask for your name and phone number. All investigations are treated confidentially.
Community involvement is critical to solving cases of arson. In general, the citizens of Contra Costa County are very helpful in providing authorities information about crimes that have occurred in their communities.
You can make a difference! When you call the Arson Tip Line, don’t worry if you think the information you have seems too little or unimportant. Some of our best tips come from citizens who were not aware that what they saw was really very important to the investigation of an incident.
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Arson is a Crime |
The U.S. Fire Administration and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) estimate an average of 316,600 intentional fires are reported to fire departments in the United States each year, causing injuries to 7,825 firefighters and civilians. In 2006, ten firefighters died as a result of arson. In addition to needless injury and death, an estimated $1.1 billion in direct property loss occurs annually
In the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District area of responsibility, there were approximately 591 Fire Investigation Unit cases in 2009. Of those cases, 69% (410) were determined to be arson or suspicious fires.
Every year in early May, the United States Fire Administration, a division of the Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency recognizes national Arson Awareness Week across the United States.
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Contact the Fire Investigation Unit General Office
925-942-9140 |
Randy Champion , Fire Prevention Captain
Investigations Unit Supervisor
(925) 941-3522
Vic Massenkoff, Fire Investigator
(925) 941-3541
Geoff Spinner, Fire Investigator
(925) 941-3537
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