Fire Investigators

Many fire investigators have prior experience working in either a fire or police department. They often have experience as firefighters, fire safety technicians, or police investigators. The U.S. Department of Labor reports that “some fire departments or law enforcement agencies require investigators to have a certain number of years within the organization or to be a certain rank, such as lieutenant or captain, before they are eligible for promotion to an inspector or investigator position.”

Because fire investigators must gather information from fire sites and synthesize that information into cogent reports, organizational skills are key. If you are not well organized at the site of a fire, you might not obtain the right information for your report. And if your notes and diagrams are messy, the report-writing part of the job will be more difficult. You also need to be detail oriented, and be able to spot the smallest piece of evidence that will prove that a fire has been deliberately set.

Investigators should be in good physical condition to adapt to extreme weather or fire scene conditions and should be able to withstand long hours in unfavorable conditions. Most of all, investigators must have a great deal of integrity. Without this, they will not be credible witnesses in court.