Kenton County Fire Investigation Team

**To Report A Suspicious Fire In Kenton County Call Kenton County Disptach Center**

859-356-3191

The Kenton County Fire Investigation Team was established in 1992. At the time of inception it was noticed that there was an increasing number of “set” fires in Kenton County.  Prior the creation on the Fire Investigation Team the Kenton County Police had a detective assigned to fire investigation, amongst other duties. These types of investigations are difficult to effectively be done by one person.

The Kenton County Fire Chiefs Association noticed the need and decided to create the team as part of the association, the founding members of the team were: Dennis Halpin, Sylvan “Smitty” Smith, Jack Scheben, Terry Allen, Bill Engle, Paul LaFontaine, and Kirk Reinhart The Team started with a budget of zero dollars and operated with donated Equipment including the first vehicle which was a used ambulance from Erlanger Fire/EMS. After several years of operation the KCFCA added the Fire Investigation Team to the budget through the help of the Kenton County Fiscal Court.  This allowed upgraded tools, hydrocarbon/accelerant meters, and in 1999 a Ford F550 truck to be purchased.

The Fire investigation Team is a voluntary team made up firefighters from various different departments. The team requires members at a minimum to have your KY 150 hour certification, NFA arson 1 and be recommended to the team by the Chief of your department. The team has training once a month 9 months out of the year and sends its members to regional conferences to sharpen their skills. The Team worked as a single unit until 1996 when the team became large enough to divide into two teams which allowed one team to be on call at all times while the other teams was off duty.

In the year 2002 the operations of the team came under the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management when they hired Deputy Director Kirk Reinhart. The team is available to any Kenton County Department 24 hours a day 7 days a week when called upon by the Officer in Charge of a Fire Scene to help determine the cause an origin of a fire. In 2007 the vehicle need changed for the Fire Investigation Team; to keep equipment and materials warm in the cold month the vehicle was converted to a Ford E-250 van. The prior vehicle was transferred to County Road Department. Over the 19 years of the team’s existence and several hundred investigations they were able to convict numerous arsonists working with local law enforcement.  The team has also been used for mutual for surrounding counties multiple times over the years it have been in place. The Fire Investigation Team also has a dedicated photographer to collect visual records of the fires that are investigated.

CLICK HERE To Download An Application And Join The Fire Investigation Team

Fire Cause and Origin

Fire origin & cause determination is the applied science of finding out where, how, and why a fire has occurred. It typically involves an analysis of a fire's effects and damages on life & property. By carefully observing and accurately interpreting the smoke, heat, and fire effects on combustibles and other materials (like metals), a fire investigator zeros in on what is known as the "area of origin" of a fire.

This is where the fire began, and the investigator examines the area in search of all potential ignition sources, inspecting each closely. Once these potential ignition sources are found, the deduction process continues until an ignition source which best matches the fire's circumstances is identified as the most likely cause of the fire, as the others are ruled out.