Personnel & Investigation
The Fire Investigations Unit conducts Department Investigations involving; Fire Incidents, Pre-Employment Backgrounds, and Professional Standards Violations. The Investigation Unit also serves as the liaison for civil and criminal subpoenas, depositions, and requests for fire reports. The FIU is staffed by one Supervisor, three 40 hour staff investigators, and three 56 hour scene investigators, and a K-9 trained to detect ignitable liquids.
The City of Fresno Fire Department is legally required to conduct a fire investigation on every fire. The Fire Investigations Unit will assist Fire Captains in determining the origin and cause, where and how the fire started when requested. The FIU will lead investigations on incidents involving injuries or fatalities, high dollar loss, high profile (house of worship, government facility), and any illegal activity that has a nexus to fire. The Fire Investigations Unit has sworn law enforcement officers that work with local law enforcement agencies to include the Fresno Police Department, Fresno County Sheriff’s department, Department of Justice, ATF, and FBI among others. The Deputy Fire Marshal is also the Department’s Terrorism Liaison Officer-Coordinator with the Regional Terrorism Threat Assessment Center.
Investigations
(559) 621-4440
Reporting Arson Crimes
(559) 621-2776 (ARSN)
Fire Investigations
The mission of the Fire Investigation Unit Section is to prevent fires by identifying the origin and cause of a fire and neutralizing the threat of a similar incident repeating. All FFDThe FIU has qualified investigators that are armed peace officers per California Penal Code section 830.37. FFD Investigators handle fire incidents from ignition through conviction. They are members in good standing with the California Conference of Arson Investigators, the California Background Investigators Association, and many other professional groups and organizations.
Pre-Employment Background Investigations
Fire Staff Investigators are responsible forto conducting all background investigations for FFD candidates. Modeled after California P.O.S.T. standards and and utilizing the eSOPH background software, Candidates are examined for satisfying the minimum qualifications and to ensure assure they meet the Department’s standard for legal, ethical and moral compliance.
Professional Standards Investigations
Any complaint received by or regarding a member of the FFD, may be assigned by the Fire Chief (or designee) to the Fire Investigations Section Unit. All professional standards investigations are conducted by the Investigations Section are done performed according to California P.O.S.T. standards and honor the California Firefighter Bill of Rights. standards.
FFD Fire Investigations Unit
The Fire Investigations Unit Section Team includes three Staff Investigators that maintain M-F, 40-hour office hours, . three Scene Investigators who are scheduled in 48-hour shifts to provide Investigative services 24/7 and a Unit Supervisor. The FFD Fire Investigations Unit also Section maintains a pool of qualified Reserve Fire Investigators in the Suppression Division to draw from when additional help is needed on-scene or during follow-up. The FFD FIU is a proud member of the Fresno Investigative Strike Team (F.I.S.T.). Tessa is a K-9 member of the FIU and a highly trained ignitable liquid detection K-9.
The team is supervised by the Deputy Fire Marshal/Fire Investigations Unit Supervisor Jay Tracy
Fire Investigations Unit Supervisor (559) 621-4440
Obtaining Fire Reports
Call (559) 621-4181, visit the Public Records Request Portal, or e-mail [email protected] to request a fire report.