Guide or Standard . . . it really may not make a change.

The public sector leaders want to show the public, (their employer) what a great job they are doing by making fire cause determinations of this or that and not determinations of “Undetermined.” The public sector leaders feel that an “Undetermined” fire cause is some how a slam on their leadership. They feel their employer (the public) will relate the fire investigator’s inability to determine fire cause to the lack of training and guidance . . . a slam against leadership.

(Hum too many undetermined fires . . . what kind of operation are those senior fire investigators running?)

On the other hand the private sector fire investigators feel the pressure from their employer, the insurance companies and the like, to find a fire cause that is not detrimental to their client. They feel that by doing a fire investigaiton and coming up with a finding helpful to their client it will mean that they are going to be hired again by that client.

(The donkey and the carrot syndrome.)

We must somehow get rid of these “mind sets” . . . making NFPA-921 a Standard may have little to do to eliminate the problem. If we cannot train these bogus fire investigators to change their thought process we must vigorously challenge and destroy their credibility in the courts.

I make these comments not in an off handed manner. I speak from experience from both sides of the street. I worked twenty-three years in the public sector and fifteen years in the private sector.