City of Tampa

 This is responsible investigative, technical, law enforcement work.

An employee in this class is responsible: for determining the origin and cause of fires; classifying fires as to cause; conducting thorough, latent criminal felony and misdemeanor investigations, as well as non-criminal investigations; and, miscellaneous duties as assigned. Work is of more than average difficulty and requires the application of specialized knowledge, skills and abilities. This work is distinguished from the work of the Apprentice Fire Investigator in that the employees perform assigned duties more independently and greater reliance is placed on the Assistant Fire Investigators' use of judgment, discretion, and initiative in effecting arrests and determining appropriate courses of action to pursue while conducting investigations. Most duties are performed in the field and involve extensive contact with municipal, county, state, and federal government agencies as well as the public. Arson investigations are conducted in concert with the State Attorney and a close professional relationship must be developed between Fire Investigators and the Assistant State's Attorney to ensure proper review of pertinent criminal cases. Employees are required to maintain combat firefighter readiness as they are subject to deployment in that capacity. The employees are required to be "on call" for work after normal duty hours and to operate a light motor vehicle to respond to various locations. Work is performed under general supervision and is reviewed through observation, conferences, and results obtained.

Performs activities which may be of a very dangerous nature while at the fire scene and while developing latent investigations, such as: identifies and collects physical evidence; properly interviews witnesses, suspects, property owners, and others as required; effects arrests.

Receives training in the investigation of fires to determine their cause and origin; solicits information from witnesses, owners, occupants, and others; takes photographs of fire scene; observes smoke and burn patterns, discoloration, amount of damage relative to area and combustibility of materials, and positions of doors and windows; uses various hand and power tools to search area for physical evidence; arrests arson suspects and provides sworn testimony during legal proceedings; completes detailed narrative reports and diagrams documenting results of investigations.

Receives training in the conduct of latent arson investigations; secures, marks, preserves, and stores evidence; cultivates informants and participates in surveillance of suspected arson targets; reviews financial, inventory and insurance records in attempts to ascertain motives; correlates information from various cases in order to identify patterns.

Investigates fires; cites code violations in buildings; investigates complaints; writes "fire lane" parking violation tickets; responds to Arson Task Force investigations where fire- caused death or life threatening injuries occur; conducts surveillance and stakeout operations; performs special assignments and assists other governmental agencies.

Maintains accurate records; writes complete and concise reports; performs records checks.

Performs related work as required.

Considerable knowledge of: pertinent State statutes regarding the crime of arson and companion crimes; fire prevention and inspection techniques.

Working knowledge of: building materials, construction practices and mechanical systems related to fire prevention, fire suppression and the protection of lives and property from fire; laws, court decisions, and legal opinions relating to the investigation and prosecution of arsonists; firefighting principles and practices.

Ability to: conduct thorough fire investigations in compliance with legal requirements and procedures; perform physical tasks requiring light to moderate exertion; prepare written and oral reports and impart them effectively; establish and maintain effective working relationships with co-workers, law enforcement agencies and the public.

Skill in: crime scene photography and its various applications.

-Four (4) years of experience in the fire service.

-Successful completion of 30 college credits (18 of which must be in the areas of fire science/administration, emergency medical service, business or public administration, or industrial education with a major in fire science/administration).

Possession of:

-A valid Florida driver's license.

-Florida State certification as a Law Enforcement Officer and Firefighter.