By Ashley Lutz
The Columbus Dispatch
COLUMBUS, Ohio — State fire marshals have investigated 24 percent more suspicious blazes this year, an increase that might be attributed to the slumping budgets of law-enforcement agencies throughout the state.
“I think local agencies rely on (state fire marshals) more and more because they have more resources,” said Clifford Mason, president of the Ohio Fire Chiefs Association. “Any good investigator will do anything he or she can to move the investigation along.” Police and fire departments also could be turning to state marshals because of the agency’s high success rate, said agency spokesman Shane Cartmill.
As of July 25, state marshals had investigated 796 fires, up from 640 at the same time last year. Nearly 280 cases were declared arson, about the same percentage as during the period last year. Any police or fire department can call in state marshals to investigate a suspicious fire, Cartmill said. The agency’s arrest and prosecution rate for arsons is about 10 percent, compared with 2 percent statewide on the local level.
The office is so successful because detectives investigate only arsons, said Tim Spradlin, chief of the Fire and Explosion Investigation Bureau.
“Other folks are faced with a lot more responsibilities,” Spradlin said. “You can only do six jobs so well.”
The fire marshal’s office also has more advanced technology than local agencies.
Lab equipment that separates compounds in charred materials and analyzes ignitable liquids is updated once or twice a year. Lab technicians were recently trained on new techniques for analysis of fingerprints left at the scene and the preservation of long-term samples for court.
Though Spradlin’s bureau is short three investigators, the situation statewide is even worse, he said.
“Every public agency I have interacted with is facing the same economic challenges — firefighters laid off, equipment not replaced. ... It’s universal out there,” Spradlin said.
Logan Police Lt. Tom Moorman gave up his responsibilities as fire investigator this year because the job was too daunting, and the department can’t afford to replace him.
“It was too many hats,” he said. “I couldn’t do a thorough job.”
Now, Logan uses the state fire marshal’s office. “We just don’t have the resources that the state has,” he said.
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