When the flames have been extinguished and the search for the cause begins in the rubble fields, investigators like Torben Konrad have their time. Konrad and his colleagues are currently getting new “jobs” nationwide.
Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) – When everything is in ruins, Torben Konrad and his colleagues come into their own. “It stinks, it’s dirty and often harmful to the environment,” reported fire investigator Konrad (43) about his work.
The police fire investigators are currently getting new, specially equipped “fire mobiles” across the country. The vans cost 105,000 euros each, as the police reported on Friday in Düsseldorf. Police headquarters and district police authorities each receive one of the special vehicles.
Konrad is very happy with his new job: “I have nothing to complain about this time,” says the inspector. The division of fire mobiles into a white and a black area is very good and important for occupational safety.
“In the white, uncontaminated area, we can talk to witnesses and consult with each other,” says Konrad, who has been investigating the causes of the fire for eleven years. On arrival and departure, it is also separated from the substances in the rear of the van, which are often hazardous to health.
Because in this “black” area the shovels and rakes are stored, the protective suits, dirty boots and the containers for the fire debris, which is taken from the fire site as a sample.
The new special vehicles replace old, self-equipped vans. They are fully equipped and have all the equipment on board, including a photoionization detector and lots of tools, because fire investigators have to put together a puzzle, i.e. reconstruct the location of the fire.
Only when the burned table is back in its old place and the shelf is hanging in its old place can it be understood exactly where the fire started. And then you can focus on the cause.
“We proceed according to the exclusion principle,” reveals Konrad. Could a lightning strike have caused the fire, or self-ignition from linseed oil? Was it electricity or a tea light? Were accelerants involved? If there is an arsonist, did he set the fire negligently or intentionally?
The samples from the scene of the fire come in sealed bags and are then analyzed in detail by the State Criminal Police Office. Which vapors from a burned-out car are caused by the materials used there and which do not belong in it?
“In 90 to 95 percent of cases we can determine the cause,” says Konrad. So that their jigsaw puzzles don’t get on their backs so much in the future, there is now also a sack truck ready for the heavy things.
However, the old vans would not be scrapped, but would continue to be used for a new purpose. But first they would have to be cleaned very thoroughly.
