On the 24^th and 25^th of January 2018, the three Fire and Rescue Services of Wales held the very first All Wales Fire Investigation Training Forum.

Hosted at Llandrindod Wells Fire and Rescue Station, the two-day event saw experts, within various fields relating to fire investigation (F.I), share in depth knowledge with Fire Investigation Officers from Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service (MAWWFRS), South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS) and North Wales Fire and Rescue Service (NWFRS).

Amongst the topics discussed by keynote speakers at the F.I Training Forum were The Role of a Senior Investigation Officer, presented by DCI Martin Slevin, Dyfed Powys Police; Disaster Victim Identification by Chief Superintendent Tony Brown, South Wales Police; and Disclosure, presented by Detective Sergeant Dale Scriven, Dyfed Powys Police.

Delegates also received a tutorial on Smouldering Fires by Lee Asprey of County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service.

Due to the varying nature of fire incidents, F.I. also requires collaboration with agencies outside of the Emergency Services. As such, delegates observed lectures by Nick Gravell of SSE, discussing electrical issues that can lead to fires and Victoria Joslin, Wales Heads of Trading Standards, who presented on Product Safety and Recall.

The F.I. Training Forum was arranged by the All Wales Fire Investigation Group, made of representatives from the three Fire and Rescue Services of Wales.

The Chair of the All Wales F.I. Group, Group Manager Peter Greenslade said, “The All Wales Fire Investigation Group was formed to allow the three Fire and Rescue Service in Wales to further improve their means of investigating fires, through sharing knowledge and resources. The hosting of the first All Wales Fire Investigation Training Forum is a significant mile stone in our ambitions to develop our fire investigation capabilities.

The F.I. Training Forum is an excellent opportunity for our Fire Investigation Officers to learn, discuss and develop industry knowledge with colleagues from other Fire and Rescue Services and partner agencies.

Collaborating with multiple agencies is an important aspect to the Fire and Rescue Service’s work; from prevention and protection to response. This is no different with F.I. We will often work, side by side, with the Police during fire investigations and I’m proud of our excellent working relationship with the Police Services in Wales; the presence of key note speakers from Dyfed Powys Police and South Wales Police at the F.I. Training Forum is a testament to that.

I’d like to thank the representatives from Wales Heads of Trading Standards and SSE for their insightful presentations. The information and data we can share with Trading Standards is invaluable in reducing property fires, whilst the professional advice on hand from SEE will greatly improve both firefighters’ safety and our F.I. Officers investigations.

This first All Wales F.I. Training Forum has opened the next chapter of fire investigation in Wales, I’m very excited to see how future events will further develop our fire investigation capabilities.”