North Andover Firefighters, Police Now Better at Determining Origin of Fires

By CHARLENE ARSENAULT (Patch Staff)

North Andover firefighters and police officers are even better informed on figuring out where and how a fire started.

State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan and Massachusetts Firefighting Academy Director George Kramlinger announced that 98 public safety officers, including those from Arlington, completed the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy’s six-day Basic Fire Investigation course.

The rigorous training gives fire, and state and local police officers with the technical skills to accurately determine the origin and cause of fires in their jurisdictions and together, build solid, prosecutable cases.

“The team concept of fire investigation has been used successfully in Massachusetts for over 20 years and it starts with joint training,” Coan said in an announcement. “When police and fire are trained in the same techniques and procedures together, the consistency leads to accurate origin and cause determinations, and when arson is the cause, solid criminal cases.”

The six-day basic fire investigation course covers the concepts of witness interviewing, fire behavior, scene examination, fire scene documentation, and evidence collection. Students must pass a written exam. The program covers unintentional fires, intentionally set fires, automobile fires, fatal fires and wildland fires.

Of the 98 graduates, 70 are firefighters, 25 local police and five state troopers, representing 87 different agencies.