What started the fire? New fire investigators from around the state are being trained in St. Charles County this week.
At 5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 16, seven Central County Fire & Rescue (CCFR) firefighters will survey the damage while working to determine the origin and cause of a mock fire at CCFR Fire Station #1.
The fire scene is inside a trailer brought to the station by the Missouri Division of Fire Safety for a statewide fire investigation course. There are 30 people from around the state participating in the weeklong class.
Upon completion of the course, and after successfully passing the exam and practical exercises, these individuals will be added to the ranks of other certified investigators in the metro area and state. After this course, more than a quarter of CCFR employees will be certified fire investigators.
“Ongoing training is critical for the safety of our community,”CCFR Assistant Chief Steve Brown says. “With more fire investigators we will have more eyes on the scene looking for the cause behind a fire, and with the additional knowledge about how a fire may have started and the patterns it could follow our teams can stay safer on the scene of a call.”