Marlow Fire Station becomes first with team dedicated to investigating suspected arsons

Marlow Fire Station has become the UK’s first fire station with a team dedicated to investigating suspected arsons – serving Berkshire, Bucks and surrounding areas.

The Thames Valley Fire Forensic Scene Investigation Unit (FFSIU) is made up of four qualified fire investigators working with Thames Valley Police. It went live in March.

Before, police would carry out a crime scene investigation at incidents where it was believed criminal activity may have been involved.

Police and fire services would each then present their evidence to the criminal justice system.

Now, new changes in regulations mean that fire scene investigations must be classified as forensic activity in the future.

In other words, as of 2026, anyone carrying these out will be required to meet the same standard as a crime scene investigator.

Fire investigation teams will be assessed for compliance to gain official accreditation – which the Marlow FFSIU is currently working towards.

Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service station commander, Mick Baxter, is also deputy technical manager of the team and a forensic fire scene investigator himself.

He said the new standard involves ‘robust’ methods in storing and securing material gathered from scenes of a suspected arson – and that Marlow Fire Station ‘was selected as the best facility to achieve this.’

The project is a collaboration between Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Royal Berkshire fire and rescue services – and Marlow is ‘ideally located’ for these three, he added.

“[Marlow Fire Station] has very good access to roads and motorways, providing us with quick access to locations across the Thames Valley,” Mick said.

The team is currently working on updating training packages, with the help of the knowledge and experience gained from Thames Valley Police, which Mick said has been ‘invaluable’.

The force has provided Marlow Fire Station with access to relevant systems, as well as providing a quality manager and sharing its past success in accredited crime scene investigation.

“Together we are forming a unique collaboration of fire service and police working together to protect people in the Thames Valley,” Mick said.

To date, the unit has investigated 17 incidents, four of which have been in Buckinghamshire and two in Berkshire.