Sadly, a number of these fires resulted in children being seriously injured or killed. Death is perhaps the most unsavoury part of the professional life of police and other emergency service workers. It is emotionally trying enough having to view, handle, examine and transport the deceased without the added burden of also intruding upon the personal grief of family and friends while maintaining an air of objectivity. Consider then the role of the fire investigator at the fire scene which has claimed the life of a child.
Fire is difficult enough for emergency service workers to deal with.
Needless to say there are few fire investigators who have not suffered emotionally from their dealings with this type of incident. Unlike the electrical fault, however, a child's fascination with fire is not necessarily ended when the fire is put out and appropriate physical repairs made. The number of children being killed in fires which they have lit themselves is testament enough to the need for all emergency service workers to understand what intervention services are available. Playing Amateur Psychologist There are any number of dissertations available which list traits or behaviours which may indicate an abnormal curiosity with fire in young children. Some even supply checklists that emergency service workers can use to assess the behaviour of the child.