Kane County Fire Investigation
Task Force

Kane County Sheriff's Department
777 E. Fabyan Parkway
Geneva, Illinois 60134

Executive Committee

President
Fire Chief John Schuldt
Carpentersville Fire Department

Secretary
Deputy Chief Jerry Koster
Geneva Fire Department

Treasurer
Commander Greg Thrun
Batavia Police Department

Fire Chief Dave Sigmund
Kaneville Fire Protection District

Fire Marshal Gary Pozzi
Aurora Fire Department

Sheriff Patrick B. Perez
Kane County Sheriff's Department

State's Attorney John A. Barsanti
Kane County State's Attorney

Group Supervisor James Allison
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms
    & Explosives

Advisory Board Member

Undersheriff Stephen Ziman

Kane County Sheriff's Department

Co-Commanders
Sergeant Kevin Tindall
Kane County Sheriff's Department

Assistant Chief William Sohn
South Elgin & Countryside Fire
      Protection District

Kane County Demographics

Population:  493,735
Median Age:  32.4
Square Miles:  520
Total Housing Units:  168,207
Number of Persons
    Per Occupied Unit:   3.01

(U.S. Census Bureau, 2006   
              American Community Survey)

The Fire Investigation Task Force is a management system that develops and implements strategies to investigate and prosecute responsible individuals.  Its concept is simple; mobilize public and private resources, coordinate responsibilities and integrate the efforts of agencies, groups and persons who are involved or should be involved in such an organized strategy.

Since its inception in October 2000 the task force has averaged 30 call outs per year.  Approximately 25% of those call outs result in being ruled as incendiary.  Of the cases presented to the State's Attorney's Office by the task force, every case has resulted in a successful prosecution.

Task Force Members:

• The Kane County Sheriff's Department provides assistance from the Bomb & Arson Unit and the assistance of the Forensic Investigation Unit.
• The Illinois State Police Forensic Laboratory  
• The U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) provides agents as liaison officers for investigations and/or special resources.  
• The Kane County State's Attorney's Office    
• The Kane County Fire Chiefs provide fire investigators for consideration for assignment to the task force.
• The Kane County Police Chiefs provide investigators for consideration for assignment to the task force.
• The Kane County Fire Investigation Task Force works closely with all fire and law enforcement agencies within Kane County.  When called to do so, the Kane County Fire Investigation Task Force assists and or augments a fire investigation as directed by the Incident Commander at the scene.
• The Co-Commanders of the Task Force have working relationships and serve as liaisons with the various other departments and agencies in Kane County in order to better aid the task force in performing investigations.  

Formation:

The Kane County Fire Investigation Task Force has a total of six teams.  The county is divided into two sectors, North and South with each sector having three teams approximately five persons per team.  A Task Force Co-Commander appoints a Team Leader who will be the Lead Investigator, and also appoints a Fire Investigator, a Police Investigator and an Evidence Technician.  It is preferred that each member be a Certified Fire Investigator with cross-training and cross-designation preferred.

Notification Criteria:

• Fires or explosions involving fatalities or seriously injured persons.
• Commercial and mercantile building fires or explosions occurring when buildings or establishments are closed.
• Fires or explosions in vacant buildings.
• Fires or explosions in buildings scheduled to be demolished or sold.
• Fires with clearly suspicious circumstances such as a non-operating or disabled fire sprinkler system, signs of forced entry, unsecured windows or doors, apparent multiple fires and serial fires.
• Fires appearing to involve the use of accelerants.
• Repeated fires at the same location or a series of fires which indicate a patter of incendiary activity.
• Fire or law enforcement agencies with limited investigative resources.
• The Task Force will only respond to vehicle fires when when it involves a fatality or it is a high value motor vehicle, i.e. tractor, mobile home, heavy construction equipment.
• The Task Force will not respond to malicious mischief fires or other fires of a minor nature unless it is clearly suspicious or if there is juvenile involvement.  The Fire Chief or Incident Commander will determine if there are exceptional circumstances. 
• Further follow-up investigation may be conducted if desired by the Incident Commander, local police, ATF or the Task Force Co-Commanders.

Contact For More Information:

Sergeant Kevin Tindall, tindallkevin@co.kane.il.us
Assistant Fire Chief William Sohn, bsohn@southelginfire.com