The Office of the Fire Commissioner (OFC), on behalf of the Minister of Municipal Affairs, is the provincial body responsible for the general oversight of the fire rescue and search and rescue portion of Alberta’s public safety system. The OFC requires fire debris forensic analysis services, on an as needed basis, in the areas of Alberta that are not accredited to conduct fire investigations under Alberta’s Safety Codes Act (Alberta) (as amended from time to time), as well as assistance with fire debris forensic analysis services to accredited municipalities, First Nations and provincial or federal agencies that may require assistance conducting fire investigations.
The successful Proponent must have specialized training and analytical skills to use controlled forensic data analysis for testing for ignitable liquid residue present in samples to assist in determining the cause of the fire. The successful Proponent also must be able to follow proper procedures of collection, storage, transportation, chain of custody and testing.
The successful Proponent will work with the investigation team of the OFC under the direction of the Fire Commissioner. The OFC is located within the Public Safety Division of Alberta Municipal Affairs.
The OFC investigation team follows procedures laid out in the current (2017) edition of National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) 921 Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigation, and trains its investigators in accordance with NFPA 1033 Standard for Professional Qualifications for Fire Investigator and Fire Safety Codes Officer Level C1 & C2 established by the (Alberta) Safety Codes Council. Utilizing the scientific method as outlined in NFPA 921 and the OFC’s policies the investigation of the origin, cause and circumstances of a fire is intended to result in a fire cause determination for the purposes of reporting and recording under the Safety Codes Act (Alberta) as amended from time to time. The Proponent providing the Services will form part of a team determining the origin and cause for assigned investigations. This work may be performed in the Proponent’s facility and onsite at the fire or incident scene.
The Proponent understands that requests for fire debris forensics services are made by the Province at its discretion, and the Province does not guarantee the number or frequency of requests for Services made during the Term of the Contract.
