NEW MODEL FOR FIRE INVESTIGATION

1. NEW MODEL FOR FIRE INVESTIGATION • BSPP – Prevention Office - FRANCE 10 EΦA ROUNDTABLE BRUSSELS - 3RD, 4TH JUNE 2010

2. Chief of Prevention office - O.GAUDARD 10 EΦA ROUNDTABLE, BRUSSELS - 4th June 2010 BSPP Prevention office NEW MODEL FOR FIRE INVESTIGATION (France) The RCCI (Search for causes and circumstances of fires) is not a mission for the Fire Brigade, it is a mission for the Police or the Gendarmerie, for the benefit of the Justice Department.

4. Chief of Prevention office - O.GAUDARD 10 EΦA ROUNDTABLE, BRUSSELS - 4th June 2010 BSPP Prevention office • Given these disparities, the French Civil Security Direction (DSC) created in 2008 a national working group to : • standardize practices, • list the different trainings. • A decree is currently being drafted to set the objectives and the missions of the fire brigades. • « It is a complementary and optional mission for the fire brigades. It is not subordinated to the signature of a convention with the Justice Department. » • 2 ways to conduct the RCCI: • internally, for the Fire Services at the Departments level (SDIS), • for the Justice Department.

5. Chief of Prevention office - O.GAUDARD 10 EΦA ROUNDTABLE, BRUSSELS - 4th June 2010 BSPP Prevention office • THE OBJECTIVES : • contribute to the development of a database and statistics to improve fire prevention measures in buildings, • contribute to the policy of return of experience of the fire services, • contribute by helping protecting the interests of the service, • collaborate, under judicial requisitioning, in the framework of a criminal investigation according to the terms of the national convention if such one is established. • “However, The RCCI does not include the search of the responsibilities of the blaze”.

6. Chief of Prevention office - O.GAUDARD 10 EΦA ROUNDTABLE, BRUSSELS - 4th June 2010 BSPP Prevention office • THE MISSIONS : • collect information, • investigate the stricken places to find the point of origin of the fire, • take pictures or film the fire scene or the objects which could be useful in finding the truth, • protect certain pieces of evidence which risk to be deteriorated or destroyed by the fire or the water which is used to extinguish the fire, • propose to the operating commander, if the operational constrains allow it, to suspend temporarilly the excavation and clearing, • communicate all the collected information to the Justice Department in case of a judicial investigation.

7. Chief of Prevention office - O.GAUDARD 10 EΦA ROUNDTABLE, BRUSSELS - 4th June 2010 BSPP Prevention office • THE TRAINING: • “ The RCCI can only be conducted by fireman which have followed the complementary RCCI course of PRV2.” • minimum level: superior under-officer, • work in the field of prevention; • have a recognised RCCI training: • ENSOSP (National superior school for fire brigade officers), • Committee for validation of titles and diplomas (DSC).

8. Chief of Prevention office - O.GAUDARD 10 EΦA ROUNDTABLE, BRUSSELS - 4th June 2010 BSPP Prevention office • THE CONVENTION WITH THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT: • To reinforce the coordination between the Justice Department and the Fire Brigades, a national framework convention can be signed at the level of the departments, after agreement with the Justice Department, the Prefecture and Fire Services at the department level. • It foresees and frames lawfully the intervention of the fire brigades in the framework of judicial investigation. • The Fire Service at the department level has to be organised in such a way it can respond to judicial requisitions. • -It communicates the list of its experts to the prosecutor of the Republic. • -The investigator has to hand out his report within three weeks.

9. Chief of Investigation group - D.LIEBART 10 EΦA ROUNDTABLE, BRUSSELS - 4th June 2010 BSPP Prevention office BSPP What about fire investigation ?

10. Chief of Investigation group - D.LIEBART 10 EΦA ROUNDTABLE, BRUSSELS - 4th June 2010 18 585 490 000 6 925 BSPP Prevention office In 2009 : Total interventions Fires interventions Fires in buildings Statistics are used to : • Adapt operational means and tactics • Prescribe prevention measures for buildings 42 fire deaths How can we make the amount of fires to decrease ?

11. Département 75 Département 92 Département 93 Département 94 Chief of Investigation group - D.LIEBART 10 EΦA ROUNDTABLE, BRUSSELS - 4th June 2010 Mission : to prescribe safety measures for building projects BSPP Prevention office Since 2007, a new structure attached to the Prevention Office Prevention officer 24/24 Chief of Prevention Office Documentation section Forecasting section Mission : Legal foresight Hydraulic group Investigation group Fire engineering group

12. Chief of Investigation group - D.LIEBART 10 EΦA ROUNDTABLE, BRUSSELS - 4th June 2010 Fire service Fire safety engineering Buildings protection Legal department BSPP Prevention office Mission : To analyse causes and propagations of fires Work benefits to : To improve fire safety laws To contribute to enhance operational tactics To validate technical studies To defend the fire service

13. Chief of Investigation group - D.LIEBART 10 EΦA ROUNDTABLE, BRUSSELS - 4th June 2010 BSPP Prevention office

14. Chief of Investigation group - D.LIEBART 10 EΦA ROUNDTABLE, BRUSSELS - 4th June 2010 BSPP Prevention office A small and young structure(2 firefighters) • Fatalities • Many ressources are deployed • Special buildings Investigates uppermost • Origine and cause of the fire • Progress of the fire • Evidences (firefighters, occupants...) • Building fire safety device Targets of investigations Central Laboratory of Prefecture of Police • Perform and test samples • Pass our findings to police service • Work as fire expert for court Actually we don’t Near 150 investigations per year (2% of fires in buildings)

15. Chief of Investigation group - D.LIEBART 10 EΦA ROUNDTABLE, BRUSSELS - 4th June 2010 BSPP Prevention office 2 aids for investigation data, according to the relevance of the fire DATABASE Statistical purpose FULL REPORTS Explain particular incidents

16. Chief of Investigation group - D.LIEBART 10 EΦA ROUNDTABLE, BRUSSELS - 4th June 2010 BSPP Prevention office DATABASE • 90 FIELDS • FIVE KEY SECTORS • Event, • Building type, • Fire protection devices, • Firefighting, • Investigation conclusions.

17. Chief of Investigation group - D.LIEBART 10 EΦA ROUNDTABLE, BRUSSELS - 4th June 2010 BSPP Prevention office 2 aids for investigation data, according to the relevance of the fire DATABASE Statistical purpose FULL REPORTS Explain particular incidents

18. Chief of Investigation group - D.LIEBART 10 EΦA ROUNDTABLE, BRUSSELS - 4th June 2010 BSPP Prevention office FULL REPORTS • Building structure details, • Conduct of the investigation, • Listing of collected evidences, • Reconstituted fire chronology, • Conclusions and lessons from the incident.

19. Location of the victims aware of the fire before they died Chief of Investigation group - D.LIEBART 10 EΦA ROUNDTABLE, BRUSSELS - 4th June 2010 BSPP Prevention office Some statistics about domestic fires, in 2009 76% of fires deaths occur in the home Domestic fire causes 82% of fires are made-man (careless or intentional) 59% of the victims died in their sleep of the victims aware of the fire died while they were not originally threatened by fire 44% • Need to : • Install smoke detectors (obligation by 2015) • Increase communitieawarness of risk behaviours : • to prevent fire breaks out • to teach the good behviour in case of fire