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Eight local agencies have united to form the Etowah County Arson Task Force (ATF).
The purpose of the ATF is to ensure that an all-inclusive investigation into the cause of fires in domestic and commercial property is carried out. Task force members will cross communicate between agencies and establish strategies to resolve fire incidents.
“I am excited and very pleased with the newly created arson task force,” says Sheriff Todd Entrekin. “This joint police and fire service unit brings together a group of individuals with different backgrounds and experience that will benefit all agencies in the county when fire is used as a deadly weapon.”
Gadsden Fire Chief Stephen Carroll adds, “The arson task force is beneficial to fire service in Etowah County and the City of Gadsden as an effective means of information sharing that will help to minimize arson County wide. The team will enhance our efforts in identification of emerging patterns and trends of arson throughout the area. Utilizing the task force concept, investigators will carry out joint fire investigations and the prosecution of offenders, while drawing on additional resources, experiences, and expertise from each other.”
The ATF is a cooperative endeavor with representatives from the Etowah County Sheriff’s Office, State Fire Marshal Office, District Attorney’s Office, Attalla Fire and Police, Gadsden Fire and Police, Hokes Bluff Fire and Police, Rainbow City Fire Department and Southside Fire and Police Department.
Deputy State Fire Marshal Ray Cumby says, “The arson task force has been developed to help tackle the problem of deliberate fire setting and arson. The benefits to the partners will be measurable in both financial and organizational efficiency.”
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According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), in 2005 an estimated 323,900 intentional fires were reported to U.S. fire departments that resulted in 490 civilian fire deaths, 3 firefighter on duty deaths, 1,500 civilian fire injuries, 7,600 firefighter on duty injuries and $1.102 billion in direct property damage.
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