Marlborough Firefighters Complete Advanced Fire Investigation Course

MARLBOROUGH, MA—Members of the Marlborough Fire Department are among 24 departments across the state who completed the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy’s six-day Advanced Fire Investigation course on Wednesday, April 30.

This rigorous professional training provides public safety professionals with the advanced skills to accurately determine the origin and cause of fires in their jurisdictions and together, build solid, prosecutable cases, said the announcement from the Department of Public Services.

State Fire Marshal Ostroskey said in a statement, “The team concept of fire investigation has been used successfully in Massachusetts for over 20 years and it starts with joint training.” He added, “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.”

Massachusetts Firefighting Academy Deputy Director Klucznik said in a statement, “This course provides students with fire scene experience from investigation through courtroom testimony. They are exposed to the investigatory process as outlined in the National Fire Protection Association Standard 921: Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations.”

The 24 graduates, including five local police officers, one Massachusetts State Police officer, and 18 firefighters, represent the following agencies:

Boston Fire Department

Boston Police Department

Bridgewater Fire Department

Danvers Fire Department

Dudley Fire Department

Gardner Fire Department

Gardner Police Department

Hudson Fire Department

Hudson Police Department

Marlborough Fire Department

Massachusetts State Police

Methuen Fire Department

Newton Fire Department

Swampscott Fire Department

Watertown Fire Department

Watertown Police Department

Webster Fire Department

Worcester Fire Department

Worcester Police Department

The 6-day advanced fire investigation course covers the concepts of fire behavior, scene examination, fire scene documentation, evidence collection, witness interviewing, and management of major fire investigations in more depth than the basic fire investigation class. It also addresses the legal issues of managing fire scenes, evidence collection, and concludes with practical exercises of participating in the courtroom process. Students give mock depositions and participate in both a mock grand jury and a mock trial. The program covers unintentional fires, intentionally set fires, and fatal fires, said the announcement.

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