Investigation Division
The Investigation Division is responsible for investigation of fires, explosions, fatalities and industrial accidents. Many different aspects are involved in an investigation such as evidence gathering, interviews, interrogations, scene drawings, photography, and report writing. The Investigation Division comprises of a group of West Valley Fire-Rescue members all with different responsibilities working as a team to thoroughly survey an incident scene to accurately account for any life or property loss. Lead Investigator Terry Liebrecht chairs the Investigation Division and is responsible for education and investigation. Investigator Liebrecht has been in fire investigation for 13 years and holds the titles of Washington State Fire Investigator, and Fire Investigation Instructor. The Investigation Division is a group of Firefighters dedicated to on-going training and education. Team members include: Lead Investigators Terry Liebrecht, and Duane Dormaier; Investigator Assistants: Mike Hollingbery, Mike Abrams, Greg Boisselle, Randy Gohl, Jon Hood, Dave Leitch, Nathan Craig, and Brad Martin.
Fire investigators normally respond to incidents involving:
- Fires believed to be intentionally set
- Fires involving juveniles (includes gang activity)
- Fires of greater alarms
- Fires involving a fatality or injury to civilians and/or firefighters
- Fires involving high dollar loss
- Acts of terrorism (i.e. fire bombing, other related types of bombings, structural sabotage, etc.)
Hazardous condition of an occupancy representing an immediate threat to life safety of their resident(s) or surrounding community (i.e. assembly overcrowding, blocked exits, building collapse, compromised fire protection and detection systems, etc.)
Other related hazards and/or fires requested by the on-scene incident commander
The primary responsibilities of the fire investigator are to determine the origin and cause of a fire scene. Fire investigators use the standard guide as set forth in NFPA 921 and determine a fire cause 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
When fires are determined "incendiary" and "undetermined," and criminal maliciousness is determined, the Division will request an assistance from the law enforcement department having jurisdiction. An investigation team concept is developed whereby the investigative process becomes an origin-and-cause and a criminal investigation. The Division's investigators enjoy a solid working relationship with Yakima City Police and Fire Department, Washington State Patrol and and Yakima Sheriff's Office who all maintain open communication and share information to close an investigation in a timely manner.
Other agencies the Division has a close relationship with are the state fire marshal, the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Treasury, other local fire service agencies, the Insurance Special Investigations Unit and the American Red Cross. These agencies may be called upon for issues involving large scale fire investigations, where the assistance from these resources proves invaluable in providing an array of investigative and human resource needs.
Investigation Team Resources
