During this past year, I represented NorCal FPOs’ interest at the California Conference of Arson Investigator’s (CCAI) Board Meetings. A summary of general items of interest in the fire investigation field are as follows:

The Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) has adopted standards related to K-9s and their handlers. The document is available on the State’s Web site.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) has developed the Bomb Arson Tracking System (BATS) which is a Web-based case management system for arson and explosive investigations. This system is available to local investigators that are peace-officers. This system allows you to share your arson and explosive incidents with other BATS users across the country. This system is similar to the previous AIRS system used in California. More information can be obtained from the ATF Web site.

We continue to monitor the activities of the NFPA-921 and NFPA-1033 committees. Both documents have been recently updated; the current version of NFPA-921 is the 2008 edition and the 2009 edition for NFPA-1033. Any of our members involved in fire investigation should be thoroughly familiar with both documents as their use continues to increase, especially in both the criminal and civil court systems. In March, NorCal FPO will be cosponsoring a two-day class in Roseville on Fire Scene Reconstruction with John Dehann and Dave Icove, the authors of the book with the same name.

The CalArsonNet is available for use by any public-safety fire investigators. This secure listserve can be a very valuable resource for gathering or sharing of information. To date, activity on the system has been very limited. Registration forms are available through the Fire Service Training Institute homepage.

We continue to monitor proposed legislation that affects fire investigations and fire investigators. Legislation proposed for the next year includes increasing the statute of limitations for certain arson crimes. Last year, legislation prohibiting the sale of firefighter uniforms and related accessories to unauthorized individuals was signed by the Governor. This is similar to the legislation that has already been adopted for peace officer uniforms and equipment.

The primary goal of the Committee is to be an advisory tool for the Executive Board and a liaison to other fire investigation organizations and groups. Questions, please contact me regarding the fire investigators and fire investigation.