Fire Investigations Unit:
- Arson is the leading cause of dollar loss form fire, exceeding $2 billion annually.
- Only 15% of arson cases are closed by arrest.
- Arson is the 2nd leading cause of residential fire deaths, and accounts for approximately 25% of all fires in the United States.
- Arson is a violent crime that claimed 300 lives in 2006.
- Some 500,000 arson fires occur each year.
The Fire Investigations Unit is part of the Emergency Services Division under the direction of Commander Jim Reid. The unit is lead by an El Paso County Sheriff’s Deputy and 4 volunteer investigators make up the team. The volunteer investigators are current or retired career firefighters and together have over 50 years worth of experience in the fire service.
The members of the unit are on-call 24/7 with the exception of when they are at their full time jobs. The members share the use of 1 El Paso County Sheriff’s vehicle that is stocked with a large array of equipment and supplies at all times. The unit responds to any and all types of fires in El Paso County when requested by a fire department and lend their expertise in determining the cause of the fire.
To find out more about the Emergency Services Division, click on any of the links located below.