Billions of dollars in property as well as hundreds of lives are lost each year as a result of arson.  The Wichita Fire Department’s, Fire Investigation Unit is committed to determining the cause of fires and pursuing arsonists with every available resource at their disposal. 

The Wichita Fire Department - Fire Investigation Unit (FIU) is a specialized unit assigned to the Support Services Division. The members of the Unit are extensively trained in all aspects of the fire investigation field including fire behavior, fire pattern analysis, building construction, photographing and diagrams, report writing, evidence collection, interviewing techniques, fire code enforcement, fire death investigation, and they testify as experts in a court of law.

The FIU currently consists of 1 Captain, 4 Lieutenants, 3 Firefighter/Investigators (assigned to the Operations Division), and 1 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATF) Accelerant Detection K-9 (Sporty). Four of the eight members of the FIU hold national certifications in fire investigation, and one member is internationally certified. Additionally, all members become Certified Fire Investigators through The Kansas State Fire Marshal’s office.

The FIU responds to all major structure fires, arson fires, serious injury and fatality fires and fires where on-scene crews are unable to determine a cause. On average, the FIU investigates 300 fires per year, making us the busiest municipal fire investigation unit in the State of Kansas. The FIU works an average of 80 arson cases with a 37.5% clearance rate (better than the national median of 28%) for the past 3 years. The FIU has a lifetime arson conviction rate of 92.3%.

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