THE Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) and the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) are to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will strengthen the capacity of the JFB to forensically investigate fires.

The disclosure was made by assistant commissioner at the JFB, Sean Martin, at a JIS Think Tank on Tuesday. He said the terms of reference for the agreement are being finalised.

“I see it as important to be able to definitively say what the cause of a fire is because if you do not know what is causing the fire, you cannot prevent them,” Assistant Commissioner Martin pointed out.

He said that the JFB and the forensic laboratory of the JCF work together informally to investigate fires. However, the MOU will formalise the partnership and allow for more officers to be trained in this area.

The JFB assistant commissioner called on insurance companies to partner with the entity to boost its investigative efforts.

He said there have been suspicions that people are deliberately setting fire to their properties to collect on insurance.

“They [can] come on board with the financial resources necessary to strengthen the investigative arm of the JFB,” he pointed out.

“They would then reduce the amount of money they are paying out if the allegations are true, and they will have that level of confidence in the JFB that we have the skill set to investigate these fires and make a determination where we can actually go to court and put people behind bars,” Assistant Commissioner Martin added.