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Fire investigator Laura Billon gives an overview of her work to the Falls Village Volunteer Fire Department.
Patrick L. Sullivan
FALLS VILLAGE — Laura Billon, a veteran fire investigator and educator from southern California, gave a detailed overview of fire investigation practices to an audience of firefighters and fire marshals at the Emergency Services Center in Falls Village on Saturday, April 20.
The event was part of the Falls Village Volunteer Fire Departments 100th anniversary celebration.
Billon started off by saying that the common thread in all fire investigations is “Safety First.”
“Be a risk evaluator, not a risk taker.”
The next item she hammered home at several points in the presentation.
“Absence of evidence is not evidence of its absence.”
Fires involve high temperatures and the release of gases. “Things disappear or are unrecognizable.”
That doesn’t mean the truth cannot be teased out of what remains.
It does mean that investigations must use the scientific method, proceed carefully and systematically, and document everything.
Billon said advances in forensic science mean that fire investigations are more carefully scrutinized than they were 40 or 50 years ago.
And if a case does get to court, investigators need to be able to refer to their case files and now immediately how they reached a conclusion.
This can happen weeks, months or even years after the event. Billon recalled receiving a subpoena eight years after a fire.
The systematic approach to a fire investigation looks like this:
Start with the exterior and move to the interior.
Move from the area of least damage to the area of most damage.
Make sure the fire scene documentation is consistent among investigators.
Use the same method every time, regardless of the size or type of fire.
“A dumpster fire or a large factory — the approach is the same.”
Investigators should always consider the following items:
The weather at the time of the fire.
Is the building vacant?
Have there been previous alarms at the location?
Are people and/or vehicles leaving the area?
Are there familiar faces among the onlookers?
And “Do you see something that’s aberrational?”
Other considerations include the color of the smoke and/or flames, how big or how fast the fire is moving, unusual odors such as gasoline or kerosene.
Sometimes fires occur in buildings that are zoned for one purpose and used for another.
Fire investigators are law enforcement officers, and sometimes other agencies need help.
Billon used the example of a building that housed a legitimate (if seedy) internet pornography operation.
Billon got a call from an FBI agent who asked if he and a colleague could tag along on a surprise fire inspection, posing as fire investigators.
While Billon did her inspection, the agents slipped away and planted small cameras in the facility.
Turned out the porno business was a front for a massive methamphetamine operation.
A big part of fire investigations doesn’t involve poking around in smoldering rubble.
Interviews (not interrogations, Billon was quick to add) are essential in finding the truth about a fire.
She cited the “80/20 Rule,” where 20% of the evidence at the scene is forensic and 80% is from interviews.
Billon emphasized that “arson” is a legal term. To charge a suspect with arson, prosecutors need to prove “willful, malicious or reckless intent.”
This is easier said than done. Billon said that about 25% of fires can be proven to be arson.
These cases typically break down like this:
Vandalism, attempts to conceal a crime, excitement or thrill-seeking, revenge, profit, and extremism/terrorism.
She gave an example of a fire set for profit.
Speaking as a budding arsonist: “Hello, insurance company? I need as much fire insurance as I can get, and I need it by Saturday.”
Speaking as herself: “That is what we call a clue.”
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Poem painting
Apr 24, 2024
Lans Christensen
Piper and Dexter Polley took part in “Paint a Poem” at Kent Memorial Library April 17 in honor of National Poetry Month. Assorted poems by famed authors such as Emily Dickinson were printed out and available for attendees to create their own painted poetry. A wide assortment of materials was provided and put to good use by enthusiastic painters.
Retaining wall construction underway
Apr 24, 2024
River Road is expected to reopen for regular traffic on Thursday, April 25.
Jennifer Markow
CORNWALL — Road closures are in effect as work to replace the retaining wall along River Road takes place.
The work began April 15 and is due to be completed April 25. Crews have been putting in extra hours to stay on schedule.
The stretch of River Road between Falls Village and West Cornwall will be closed during working hours. The covered bridge in West Cornwall will remain open.
The bulk of the work involves installing pre-cast concrete sections, which will be combined with rock to create a retaining wall strong enough to weather the high-velocity currents that follow summer storms. The previous wall had been damaged in the summer of 2023 after rapids jostled the rocks loose.
River Road will be closed during working hours, but will be opened at night and on weekends, until the wall is completed.
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Leila Hawken
KENT — Pre-application information for an addition to the town library was presented to the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) by Kent Memorial Library board members at the regular P&Z meeting on Thursday, April 11.
Preliminary plans envision renovation and expansion of the existing library building to connect with the old firehouse next door.
A brief presentation by Sam Calloway of the Kent Library Association Board of Directors described conceptual ideas for renovation and expansion of the existing historic library building. Calloway is also serving as chairman of the building committee, guiding the project.
This presentation to the P&Z was designed to be informal. The coming weeks will see the roll-out of what will be an extensive community campaign. The P&Z application process for the project will begin at the next P&Z meeting scheduled for Thursday, May 9.
“The library is running out of space and the current facilities need upgrade,” said Calloway.
“Libraries have become more than book repositories,” Calloway noted, describing ways that modern library facilities provide essential services and programs vital to their patrons. Wyeth Associates of Chester, Conn. has been retained to design an expanded modern library.
Architect Leonard Wyeth made the presentation, leading the P&Z through preliminary drawings, beginning with the site as it exists now.
The site is almost flat, but there is a gentle slope, Wyeth said. The original library building dates to 1922 and the firehouse next door was built in the 1950s on the library’s land. The whole site, library and firehouse, is incorporated in the planning.
Under a proposed plan, the library will be connected to the firehouse building, allowing book stacks to be housed on the ground level of the firehouse. The apron in front of the firehouse would be retained, and the library would have a new entrance, further to the south.
With the addition of an elevator, the second floor of the firehouse could offer a large meeting space that might be available to community groups. A new tower would add architectural interest and house the elevator works.
P&Z Chair Wesley Wyrick noted that the firehouse structure is sound.
“We’re keeping all of the old firehouse,” Wyeth said.
Wyrick raised the question of finding adequate parking to augment the on-street spaces.
Wyeth indicated that photovoltaic solar roof panels could be included, and that such panels would not be visible from the street. His firm maintains a deep interest in sustainable design practices.
A fence would be added across the rear of the property to mask the railroad tracks and provide protected outdoor access for patrons’ activities.
Discussion focused on parking and concerns for protecting the area where the annual book sale is set up.
Library Director Sarah Marshall said, “We are committed to the interests of the book sale.
The P&Z supported Tai Kern’s comment that a variance would be needed from the Zoning Board of Appeals and that the town’s Architectural Review Board must be included in the process.
Wyrick added that a special permit will be needed because the firehouse is being converted to library use.
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