A need for fire investigation was mandated when the State of Illinois passed legislation requiring all fires to be investigated. (425 ILCS 25/) Fire Investigation Act States that the fire chief of the fire department of every municipality in which a fire department is established and the fire chief of every legally organized fire protection district shall investigate the cause, origin and circumstances of every fire occurring in such municipality or fire protection district.
The Bartlett Fire Protection District has a Fire Investigation Team that consists of four members tasked with determining fire cause and origin. Investigators are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to respond to fire investigations. Members of the team are certified as investigators by the Office of the State Fire Marshall, and have extensive training to investigate all fires in a professional and scientific manner, consider the weight of the evidence and arrive at an expert opinion as to the cause of the fire, using nationally accepted standards. Components of a thorough investigation include scene examination, photograph and video documentation, evidence recognition and collection, diagrams, interviews, and reporting.
Focus
The focus of the Bartlett Fire Protection District is to preserve lives and property in our community by providing services directed at the prevention of fires, accidents and other emergencies while maintaining the highest standards of professionalism, efficiency and effectiveness.
Goal
The goal of the Fire Investigation Team is to reduce the loss of life and property as a result of a fire. Comprehensive fire investigation, fire code enforcement, and educational programs are the tools that the Bartlett Fire Protection utilizes to achieve our goals and the District’s mission.
By striving to determine the cause of every fire through this goal, the community is served when hazardous conditions are identified and the general public is informed and educated through the Public Education Division. Our investigations serve to identify trends in fire causes, needs for product recalls, and to improve the safety of our community. Determining cause and origin of fires prevents future fires, injuries, loss of life and burn prevention.
