The Franklin County Commissioners have elected to put all suspicious fire investigations with the office of the Coroner. The reason for this is that fires that are of a suspicious nature will leave behind evidence and clues as to what started the fire. Investigators in the Coroners office have been trained on how to collect, preserve, and maintain chain of custody of evidence in cases that are of a suspicious manner. One of the four Fire Chief's in the County has to request the fire investigator before he would respond to a fire. He will then respond, interview fire personal, law enforcement personal, and any witnesses. If he determines further investigation is necessary once the fire is put out and cooled he, will enter the scene and continue his investigation.

The main fire investigator for Franklin County is Mark Cope who is a Captain with the Hanford Fire Department. He has many years experience in dealing with fires. He can be reached through Franklin County Dispatch at 509-545-3510

Burn control issues and handled by the County Code Enforcement Officer. He handles questions such as:

What can I burn?
Where can I burn?
What rules do I follow?
Who else do I have to contact?
Where do I get an 'agricultural burn permit'?
What if I want to burn on the weekend?
What if I want to have a 'recreational fire'?

Issues on construction, fire suppression equipment ect. should be directed to the Building Department 509-545-3521. They also have contact information for any other agencies involved in the burn process.