Brandon’s police service and fire department say a new arson task force will help them better investigate a rising number of suspicious fires in the city.
Fire Chief Terry Parlow says the department has seen an increase generally in the number of fires in the southwestern Manitoba city, some of which have been deemed suspicious.
The new arson task force will be dedicated to investigating and preventing suspicious fires and other related crimes, the Brandon Police Service said in a Thursday news release.
That will help ensure “nothing slips through any cracks with regards to the investigation process” and “a co-operative response between our two departments,” said Parlow.
Brandon’s fire department has always worked very closely with the police, he said, but the investigation process will be better streamlined.
“It’s breaking down a lot of the barriers that may be present between the departments,” to create a “seamless process” for regular communication between the two, Parlow said.
The Office of the Fire Commissioner will also assist in the investigations as needed, the police news release said.
The task force will include three or four fire and emergency services investigators, along with members of the Brandon Police Service, Parlow said, who will work to gather and share information as quickly as possible with all departments, especially if arson is involved.
“We are addressing these as quickly as possible so that we can find the individuals if that is … in fact the case of a possible arson,” Parlow said. “Safety is paramount to us, so this is how we are addressing these suspicious fires.”
The task force will also look at proactive steps to prevent fires.
Over the last few weeks, the departments have been working more closely to address what Parlow described as a rise in the number of fires.
He did not provide specific statistics on reported fires compared to previous years, but cited last week’s fire at Brandon’s Walmart and a fire on the 300 block of Sixth Street Tuesday as examples of the departments working together.
“Both of those have been identified as suspicious, and in fact arsons,” Parlow said.
“We are all working extremely hard and making sure that everyone knows that there is a co-operative group, making sure that we’re staying on top of these and addressing them as quickly as possible.”