It is a statutory requirement for the Local Assistant to:

• initiate an investigation into every fire within their jurisdiction
• determine the cause, origin and circumstances of the fire,
• report their findings to the Fire Commissioner.

These responsibilities and procedures are the same for every Local Assistant, whether their jurisdiction is a large urban municipality or a rural district.

It is expected that the LAFC acts on behalf of the Fire Commissioner with respect to Section 9 of the Fire Services Act. The following information will assist the LAFC in performing the fire investigation duty to the level expected from the Fire Commissioner.

There is an assumption that all LAFC will have the knowledge and skills to determine whether a fire was a result of accident, negligence or design. If the LAFC does not have these skills, the OFC will provide or refer training to ensure satisfactory completion of the Fire Investigation for LAFC course (or equivalent). Please contact the OFC to arrange for training. The delivery of this training to your region will be subject to the OFC’s deployment of staff resource.

• Legal Actions against an LAFC
• Requests for OFC Fire Investigation or Technical Assistance
• Synopsis of a fire investigation