§2235 Investigation authorities

Summary

The Administrator may send investigators—like safety experts, fire protection engineers, codes specialists, researchers, and training specialists—to a major fire scene to do a fire safety investigation. These investigations must be done together with the proper Federal, State, local, Tribal, and territorial authorities and look at the fire’s cause and origin plus bigger issues such as building codes, who used the building, structural features, how smoke and fire moved, and the costs tied to injuries and deaths. When the investigation ends, the Administrator must either publish a public report for the relevant authorities or work with another agency on a report, unless doing so would harm a possible or ongoing criminal investigation. Reports must give recommendations about other similar buildings at risk, firefighting tactics, public safety steps, the costs and benefits of adding safety features, and ways to prevent the same causes. The Administrator can also investigate unusual smaller fires if it won’t hurt a criminal probe. This does not reduce other agencies’ powers, does not let the Administrator pursue enforcement or criminal charges, and does not force action that would compromise a criminal investigation. The term “major fire” will be defined in regulations the Administrator issues.