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6 September 2024
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Featured FRI Magazine article: What can you do if you suspect that illegal wildfires are occurring in your area? by Rob Erasmus, (FRI Vol 2 no 9)
Do not collect any items found at the fire scene. Coins may have fingerprints that can link a suspect to the fire scene
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Bottles or broken glass may contain traces of accelerants such as petrol or paraffin
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Where possible, use barrier tape to cordon off the general origin of the fire to prevent damage to evidence
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Where possible, use barrier tape to cordon off the general origin of the fire to prevent damage to evidence
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https://www.frimedia.org/uploads/1/2/2/7/122743954/fri_vol2no9_final.pdf
This week’s featured Fire and Rescue International magazine article is: What can you do if you suspect that illegal wildfires are occurring in your area? Written by Rob Erasmus, Enviro Wildfire Services (FRI Vol 2 no 9). We will be sharing more technical/research/tactical articles from Fire and Rescue International magazine on a weekly basis with our readers to assist in technology transfer. This will hopefully create an increased awareness, providing you with hands-on advice and guidance. All our magazines are available free of charge in PDF format on our website and online at ISSUU. We also provide all technical articles as a free download in our article archive on our website.
What can you do if you suspect that illegal wildfires are occurring in your area?
By Rob Erasmus, Enviro Wildfire Services
In South Africa and other parts of the world that are wildfire-prone, incidents happen where people purposely and maliciously set fire to veld and forests for a variety of reasons, including financial gain, revenge, to hide an existing crime, vandalism and to a lesser degree, mental illness. These criminals, (and yes, we use the ‘criminals’ as it is an offence in South Africa to set veld alight without permission), cost the economy thousands, if not millions of Rands each year in firefighting, insurance, legal and medical expenses.
We know that very few wildfires are investigated and requests for such investigations usually originate from appointed attorneys and insurance companies attempting to recover costs. But what about fires that cause no monetary damage as such (general roadside fires that burn hectares of natural veld) but still require resources to extinguish them and in many cases, the costs of such operations are borne by the landowners who will in turn claim from his/her insurance if they have such.
There seems to be a general apathy amongst landowners and organisations to determine the true cause of wildfires and the majority are quite content to lay the blame on the cigarette smoker who has tossed a burning cigarette butt from their moving car. As we have mentioned before, while cigarettes can and do start roadside wildfires, there is strong evidence to indicate that few roadside fires are, in fact, started in this manner. Field tests undertaken to date with fine fuels (grass) in hot, dry and windy conditions with a wide range of cigarette brands and types, have yielded little ignition success. This has further supported our hypothesis that many of the wildfires that occur along our roadsides are being set maliciously, and are not as a result of accidental negligence.
The two primary reasons for the lack of wildfire investigations by landowners and managers are firstly because they believe that it was a cigarette and secondly because they do not know who to contact or how to go about implementing such an investigation. Many local South African Police Service (SAPS) stations and fire departments openly admit that they do not have suitably trained staff to undertake such specialised investigations. First-hand experience in well organised areas such as Cape Town, have proven that the SAPS will only get involved if the fire has been investigated by an investigator and it has been proven to have been malicious. The vicious circle is that they will not become involved until it has been investigated and they are not prepared, or do not have the ability, to undertake the investigation. So, even if a landowner wants the fire investigated by the local SAPS so as to have a case registered, they will be unsuccessful in their attempt.
Likewise, very few local fire departments will implement an investigation and it is usually only when someone has been badly injured or killed, or maybe if serious damage occurs to property, will an investigation be implemented.
Bearing in mind that there is strong evidence to indicate that there are people who regularly set fire to the veld and that very few of their fires are investigated, such criminals will continue with their selfish acts unchecked and without fear of being apprehended. Put quite simply, unless the landowner/manager/responsible agency starts to implement wildfire investigations to accurately document and collect evidence, these wildfires will continue unchecked. The implications of such freedom being given to the criminal element are deeply concerning.
With this as a foundation, what are the options for the landowner if they suspect that the fire(s) has been set intentionally? Before we address that question, how would the landowner determine a suspicious fire? We know that natural fires ie lighting, rock falls, etc occur, as do accidental (sparks from equipment used for cutting and grinding) and negligent ones ie homeless people living on the urban edge, fireworks. However, when the fires are occurring at remote locations, on days with high humidity, repeat locations, or when an object is found near the origin (and we shall discuss this shortly), to name but a very few, the owner or first responders should request that a preliminary investigation be undertaken.
Such investigations are not expensive and can be completed within an hour. In the Western Cape groups such as Enviro Wildfire Services are willing when available to respond immediately to investigate a fire, preferably even while it is still burning, to gather critically important information before it is damaged by fire fighters, the weather, the general public and believe it or not, by the criminals returning to collect any evidence they have left behind.
Protecting the general origin is crucially important and knowledge of fire spread and shape will assist first and second responders in identifying the general area where the fire started. This area is usually of low fire threat after the first 20 minutes due to the fire having already having moved on. Fire chiefs are urged to brief their staff on the importance of protecting such origins if they suspect the fire to be malicious. Once again, Enviro Wildfire Services would be more than willing to visit fire stations throughout the Western Cape and possibly beyond to provide a one hour wildfire origin and cause presentation to local fire fighters at their own stations, should we receive the invitation.
Herewith some basic steps if a veldfire is suspected of being malicious:
1. Protect the general origin (where the fire started) from damage by fire fighters, the public, vehicles, or criminals
2. DO NOT COLLECT ANY ITEMS FOUND IN THIS AREA. Any collection or handling of possible evidence will be useless in a court of law unless it has been properly documented and collected by a qualified investigator.
3. If possible, use barrier tape to demarcate the area and place a fire fighter there to control or prevent access to the site.
4. Contact the local SAPS to determine if they have suitably trained, qualified and experienced staff to undertake an investigation. If not, contact the local fire chief to determine if they have suitably trained, qualified and experienced staff to undertake an investigation. If not, contact a suitably trained, qualified and experienced fire investigator and request them to undertake a preliminary investigation. Bear in mind that there might be costs involved. In the Western Cape, Enviro Wildfire Services would be willing to provide this service and in most cases there would be no charge.
Following the outcome of the preliminary investigation, it can be decided if a more thorough investigation is required ie interviews, aerial photographs, larger area investigated, security camera footage studied, etc.
With the aim of this series of articles being to both increase awareness about fire investigations and hopefully to proactively encourage landowners and agencies to implement such undertakings, we hope that enough evidence and data will be collected to one day apprehend and successfully convict those people that selfishly set the veld alight with no regard for the safety of those who are tasked with fighting such fires, often at great risk and cost.
In the next article we will discuss how to go about setting up a multi-agency task team should a serial fire setter be active in your area.
For more information on undertaking veldfire investigations or requests to provide presentations to your firefighting staff, please contact Rob Erasmus at [email protected].
This week’s featured Fire and Rescue International magazine article is: What can you do if you suspect that illegal wildfires are occurring in your area? Written by Rob Erasmus, Enviro Wildfire Services (FRI Vol 2 no 9). We will be sharing more technical/research/tactical articles from Fire and Rescue International magazine on a weekly basis with our readers to assist in technology transfer. This will hopefully create an increased awareness, providing you with hands-on advice and guidance. All our magazines are available free of charge in PDF format on our website and online at ISSUU. We also provide all technical articles as a free download in our article archive on our website.
What can you do if you suspect that illegal wildfires are occurring in your area?
By Rob Erasmus, Enviro Wildfire Services
In South Africa and other parts of the world that are wildfire-prone, incidents happen where people purposely and maliciously set fire to veld and forests for a variety of reasons, including financial gain, revenge, to hide an existing crime, vandalism and to a lesser degree, mental illness. These criminals, (and yes, we use the ‘criminals’ as it is an offence in South Africa to set veld alight without permission), cost the economy thousands, if not millions of Rands each year in firefighting, insurance, legal and medical expenses.
We know that very few wildfires are investigated and requests for such investigations usually originate from appointed attorneys and insurance companies attempting to recover costs. But what about fires that cause no monetary damage as such (general roadside fires that burn hectares of natural veld) but still require resources to extinguish them and in many cases, the costs of such operations are borne by the landowners who will in turn claim from his/her insurance if they have such.
There seems to be a general apathy amongst landowners and organisations to determine the true cause of wildfires and the majority are quite content to lay the blame on the cigarette smoker who has tossed a burning cigarette butt from their moving car. As we have mentioned before, while cigarettes can and do start roadside wildfires, there is strong evidence to indicate that few roadside fires are, in fact, started in this manner. Field tests undertaken to date with fine fuels (grass) in hot, dry and windy conditions with a wide range of cigarette brands and types, have yielded little ignition success. This has further supported our hypothesis that many of the wildfires that occur along our roadsides are being set maliciously, and are not as a result of accidental negligence.
The two primary reasons for the lack of wildfire investigations by landowners and managers are firstly because they believe that it was a cigarette and secondly because they do not know who to contact or how to go about implementing such an investigation. Many local South African Police Service (SAPS) stations and fire departments openly admit that they do not have suitably trained staff to undertake such specialised investigations. First-hand experience in well organised areas such as Cape Town, have proven that the SAPS will only get involved if the fire has been investigated by an investigator and it has been proven to have been malicious. The vicious circle is that they will not become involved until it has been investigated and they are not prepared, or do not have the ability, to undertake the investigation. So, even if a landowner wants the fire investigated by the local SAPS so as to have a case registered, they will be unsuccessful in their attempt.
Likewise, very few local fire departments will implement an investigation and it is usually only when someone has been badly injured or killed, or maybe if serious damage occurs to property, will an investigation be implemented.
Bearing in mind that there is strong evidence to indicate that there are people who regularly set fire to the veld and that very few of their fires are investigated, such criminals will continue with their selfish acts unchecked and without fear of being apprehended. Put quite simply, unless the landowner/manager/responsible agency starts to implement wildfire investigations to accurately document and collect evidence, these wildfires will continue unchecked. The implications of such freedom being given to the criminal element are deeply concerning.
With this as a foundation, what are the options for the landowner if they suspect that the fire(s) has been set intentionally? Before we address that question, how would the landowner determine a suspicious fire? We know that natural fires ie lighting, rock falls, etc occur, as do accidental (sparks from equipment used for cutting and grinding) and negligent ones ie homeless people living on the urban edge, fireworks. However, when the fires are occurring at remote locations, on days with high humidity, repeat locations, or when an object is found near the origin (and we shall discuss this shortly), to name but a very few, the owner or first responders should request that a preliminary investigation be undertaken.
Such investigations are not expensive and can be completed within an hour. In the Western Cape groups such as Enviro Wildfire Services are willing when available to respond immediately to investigate a fire, preferably even while it is still burning, to gather critically important information before it is damaged by fire fighters, the weather, the general public and believe it or not, by the criminals returning to collect any evidence they have left behind.
Protecting the general origin is crucially important and knowledge of fire spread and shape will assist first and second responders in identifying the general area where the fire started. This area is usually of low fire threat after the first 20 minutes due to the fire having already having moved on. Fire chiefs are urged to brief their staff on the importance of protecting such origins if they suspect the fire to be malicious. Once again, Enviro Wildfire Services would be more than willing to visit fire stations throughout the Western Cape and possibly beyond to provide a one hour wildfire origin and cause presentation to local fire fighters at their own stations, should we receive the invitation.
Herewith some basic steps if a veldfire is suspected of being malicious:
1. Protect the general origin (where the fire started) from damage by fire fighters, the public, vehicles, or criminals
2. DO NOT COLLECT ANY ITEMS FOUND IN THIS AREA. Any collection or handling of possible evidence will be useless in a court of law unless it has been properly documented and collected by a qualified investigator.
3. If possible, use barrier tape to demarcate the area and place a fire fighter there to control or prevent access to the site.
4. Contact the local SAPS to determine if they have suitably trained, qualified and experienced staff to undertake an investigation. If not, contact the local fire chief to determine if they have suitably trained, qualified and experienced staff to undertake an investigation. If not, contact a suitably trained, qualified and experienced fire investigator and request them to undertake a preliminary investigation. Bear in mind that there might be costs involved. In the Western Cape, Enviro Wildfire Services would be willing to provide this service and in most cases there would be no charge.
Following the outcome of the preliminary investigation, it can be decided if a more thorough investigation is required ie interviews, aerial photographs, larger area investigated, security camera footage studied, etc.
With the aim of this series of articles being to both increase awareness about fire investigations and hopefully to proactively encourage landowners and agencies to implement such undertakings, we hope that enough evidence and data will be collected to one day apprehend and successfully convict those people that selfishly set the veld alight with no regard for the safety of those who are tasked with fighting such fires, often at great risk and cost.
In the next article we will discuss how to go about setting up a multi-agency task team should a serial fire setter be active in your area.
For more information on undertaking veldfire investigations or requests to provide presentations to your firefighting staff, please contact Rob Erasmus at [email protected].