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Geauga fire investigators can breathe easier
(by Joan Demirjian - November 26, 2008)
Geauga fire investigators can breathe easier
By JOAN DEMIRJIAN
When Timberfire restaurant burned down in Bainbridge, the Geauga County fire-investigation unit was on the scene within minutes. Unit members were also at an auto-shop fire last May in Auburn.
The team is called out to fires around the county, searching for clues that indicate the cause and whether it was an accident or intentionally set.
Now, the unit members are getting an assist through a grant that will make their jobs safer. The grant will buy 40 special masks to filter the pollutants lurking in the ashes that could cause health risks.
James Bell, a firefighter with the Russell Fire Department and a member of the unit, applied for the grant through the U.S. Fireman's Fund.
The $4,520 grant to buy respiratory-protection equipment was presented to the fire-investigation unit Monday at the Burton Fire Department.
"We can wear the air-filtering masks during investigations," Mr. Bell said. Studies have shown the atmosphere the investigative team works in is not always safe, he said.
The Geauga County fire-investigation unit is one of the oldest in the state. The unit was founded more than 20 years ago, said Mr. Bell, a member for 18 years.
The unit is made up by members from surrounding fire departments. Middlefield Fire Chief William Reed is director of the unit.
"It's a cooperative effort," Mr. Bell said of the involvement of the fire departments. "We have monthly meetings and review any fires we've had."
Members also participate in educational programs that cover a variety of subjects, from insurance fraud to electrical fires.
Area fire departments contact the team during a fire through the Geauga County Sheriff's Office.
Restaurant fires are the most common call, but they vary and include car fires and house fires, Mr. Bell said.
By statistics, the most common causes of fires investigated are careless smoking and use of candles. "Electrical fires are a close third," Mr. Bell said.
Arriving on the scene, the unit starts gathering information, including where the fire was located, the color of the flame and what was seen, heard or smelled.
"We try to interview the homeowner and we talk to the fire chief," Mr. Bell said. Photographs are taken and diagrams drawn up, he said.
"We're looking at determining the cause and origin of every fire. The damage done by a fire as it feeds on an accelerant is visible," Mr. Bell said.
Unit members will sift through and shovel out a room to get to the bare floor and look for pour patterns and burn paths. They look at the structure itself, the fire's spread pattern, and they track the fire back to its origins to find the cause, he said.
Causes of fires in auto-repair facilities are the most difficult to pinpoint, because there can be so many different possible causes, Mr. Bell said.
The unit sometimes uses a dog trained to sniff out the accelerant in a fire. There are at least three dogs in the area that are available to the unit, he said.
"Things can be hot and let off gases, including cyanide, benzine, carbon monoxide and hydrogen chloride," Mr. Bell said. That is where the masks will aid the team members, he said.
All information gathered by the unit is sent to the Ohio Fire Academy laboratory in Columbus, Mr. Bell said.
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