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Advanced Diploma of Public Safety (Fire Investigation) PUA60922
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Overview

This course has been developed in conjunction with Fire and Police agencies in Australasia and the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council (AFAC). This course provides accredited training in critical areas of fire investigation.

This qualification is designed for firefighting professionals performing fire investigations which involve a range of activities such as conducting investigations, analysing fire origin and cause and attending judicial hearings. It typically involves the use of specialised equipment, resources and services.

To enter this course, students must be working in a fire investigation role.

Qualification:

 Advanced Diploma of Public Safety (Fire Investigation) PUA60922

Next Intake:

 Semester 1 2025

Course No:

 AD-HS59

Campus:

 CIT Bruce 

Duration:

 This course can be completed in 4 semesters part-time (approx. 11 hours per week of formal study AND approx. 8 hours unsupervised on-the-job learning).
This course will take 5 semesters for students who have not completed PUAFIR501 Conduct fire investigation and analysis activities

Cost Info:

Enrolment fees for this course are based on the costs per subject as indicated below. The total course cost may vary depending on the choice of elective subjects or if subjects are attempted more than once. Subject costs identified as Standard are partially subsidised by the ACT Government. Concessions may be available to eligible students.

Enrolment fees for this course are based on the costs per subject as indicated below. Subject costs identified as Full Fee receive no government subsidy. Concessions are not available. The fees below apply unless training as an apprentice or trainee.

Indicative Cost:

 Standard - $1,619.00
Full Fee - $5,264.00

Likely Job Outcome:

 Specialist fire scene investigators with technical expertise to undertake high complexity investigations.

Application Type:

 Standard; Full Fee
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Additional Information

As the course is pre-dominantly delivered online, you will require access to a computer. CIT staff provides support to students when navigating the online platform eLearn.
You are required to attend CIT (Bruce) for a 5-day practical residential workshop towards the end of the qualification. The workshop includes practical exercises and assessment regarding fire scene/crime scene processing and recording; preparing legal briefs or evidence and presenting evidence in court.
Students will need to arrange and pay for their own accommodation and travel for the 5-day practical residential workshop. This workshop is usually held once each year in November.

Entry Requirements

To enter this course you must:

Be working in a Fire Investigation role as you will be required to carry out work-based activities to complete the course
AND
Be working in the fire sector, that is, those sections of government departments, statutory authorities or organisations that have responsibility under jurisdictional arrangements for the delivery of firefighting and fire management services.
OR
Be working in the police sector in a policing agency.
OR
Be working in another organisation, either private or public, that requires the fire investigation qualification.
If you are a sponsored student and your workplace is paying for you to study, you must have support from your workplace.
Before undertaking this qualification, candidates working in the fire sector must achieve the following pre-requisite units:

  • PUALAW002 Conduct initial investigation at incident scene
  • PUALAW001 Protect and preserve incident scene
  • PUAFIR210 Prevent injury
  • PUAFIR302 Suppress urban fire
Note: Personnel who work in non-fire agencies who undertake the PUA60922 Advanced Diploma of Public Safety (Fire Investigation) ARE NOT required to have the above prerequisite units listed for fire sector units of competency (i.e. the prerequisites for those units listed above). This is endorsed by the PUA Training Package.

Skills Recognition

To study any course at CIT (excluding non-accredited training) you must have a Unique Student Identifier (USI).

Literacy Skills Information

We suggest that you will need Australian Core Skills Framework literacy levels of at least 4 across reading, writing, learning, oral communication and, depending on your course of study, numeracy skills to successfully complete this course. If you do not have this level, you can still enrol and seek support to improve your skills or you may prefer to begin with the lower level course. Please visit Foundation Skills.

Transition Information

Qualifications at CIT are regularly updated or replaced to meet current industry needs and maximise your employment opportunities. If this occurs while you are part way through a qualification, you may need to vary your learning to meet the new national requirements. CIT will aim to make this as smooth as possible for you.

Subject Cancellations/Changes

To ensure positive outcomes for all students, CIT may need to cancel or change classes at short notice. CIT will make every effort to inform students as soon as changes are made and will also make every effort to offer alternative arrangements for students to meet the requirements of the subject and complete their qualification. In an unfortunate instance when this cannot be met, you will receive a full refund. Please ensure you maintain current contact details via CIT Self Service or by contacting CIT Student Services at infoline@cit.edu.au.


Subject Information

Complete 15 subjects

Core: Complete all 12

  • POLFOR021   Use and maintain specialist forensic equipment
    • CIT Code: FOSC341
      Cost: Standard $220.00
      Full fee $945.00
      Description: This unit is a restricted Police unit of competency. Content of restricted Police units of competency is not published on the National Register. Public access to these units of competency has the potential to compromise Police operations. Content of these units is maintained separately and is only available to persons authorised by the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency (ANZPAA), visit their website available in the links.
      Prerequisites: Nil
  • PUAFIR605   Determine origin and cause of mobile property fire
    • CIT Code: FIRE166
      Cost: Standard $67.00
      Full fee $210.00
      Description: This unit of competency involves the skills and knowledge required to manage, inspect and assess a mobile property fire to determine origin and cause. For the purposes of this unit mobile property includes aircraft, farm machinery, caravans, campervans, marine craft, motor vehicles, trains, trams, trucks and buses.The unit focuses on developing and applying a systematic approach to fire investigations in a mobile property context. It includes coordinating mobile fire investigations, securing fire scenes, preserving evidence, conducting analysis of evidence and making informed fire cause determinations and is applicable to fire investigators who are required to determine the origin and cause of a mobile property fires.The fire sector is those sections of government departments, statutory authorities or organisations that have responsibility under jurisdictional arrangements for the delivery of firefighting and fire management services.No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.
      Prerequisites: PUALAW001 Protect and preserve incident scene
      PUALAW002 Conduct initial investigation at incident scene
  • PUAFIR606   Apply principles of combustion and fire dynamics to fire scene investigation
    • CIT Code: FIRE167
      Cost: Standard $89.00
      Full fee $280.00
      Description: This unit of competency involves the skills and knowledge required to apply the principles of fire science and fire dynamics to a fire scene investigation. It includes applying principles of fire chemistry, chemistry of combustion and fire behaviour. The unit is applicable to the work of a specialist fire investigator.The fire sector is those sections of government departments, statutory authorities or organisations that have responsibility under jurisdictional arrangements for the delivery of firefighting and fire management services.No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.
      Prerequisites: Nil
  • PUAFIR607   Apply electrical/electronic knowledge to fire investigations
    • CIT Code: FIRE168
      Cost: Standard $89.00
      Full fee $280.00
      Description: This unit of competency involves the skills and knowledge required to inspect and assess a fire scene to determine whether the origin and possible cause of fire is related to the presence of electrical installations and appliances. It includes identifying sources of evidence, collecting and documenting evidence in preparation for analysis, findings and conclusions. The unit applies to fire investigators who are required to assess a fire scene to identify the presence of electrical circuits, equipment or appliances that may have contributed to the cause of fire.The fire sector is those sections of government departments, statutory authorities or organisations that have responsibility under jurisdictional arrangements for the delivery of firefighting and fire management services.No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.
      Prerequisites: PUAFIR603 Determine origin and cause of wildfire
      PUAFIR604 Determine origin and cause of structure fire
      PUAFIR605 Determine origin and cause of mobile property fire
      PUAFIR609 Collect, record and coordinate the analysis of physical evidence
  • PUAFIR608   Investigate fatal fires
    • CIT Code: FIRE169
      Cost: Standard $89.00
      Full fee $280.00
      Description: This unit of competency involves the skills and knowledge required to undertake an investigation of a fire involving fatalities. It is applicable to specialist fire investigators who are required to apply a systematic approach to the investigation of fatalities at a fire scene.The fire sector is those sections of government departments, statutory authorities or organisations that have responsibility under jurisdictional arrangements for the delivery of firefighting and fire management services.No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.
      Prerequisites: PUAFIR603 Determine origin and cause of wildfire
      PUAFIR604 Determine origin and cause of structure fire
      PUAFIR605 Determine origin and cause of mobile property fire
      PUAFIR609 Collect, record and coordinate the analysis of physical evidence
  • PUAFIR609   Collect, record and coordinate the analysis of physical evidence
    • CIT Code: FIRE170
      Cost: Standard $89.00
      Full fee $280.00
      Description: This unit of competency involves the skills and knowledge required to record and document physical evidence collected at a fire scene and to coordinate the analysis of physical evidence to meet organisational requirements. The unit focuses on developing and applying a systematic approach to the recording and documenting of physical evidence collected at a fire scene and the coordination of the analysis. It is relevant to specialist fire investigators, it does not address the technical and forensic analysis of evidence.The fire sector is those sections of government departments, statutory authorities or organisations that have responsibility under jurisdictional arrangements for the delivery of firefighting and fire management services.No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.
      Prerequisites: PUALAW001 Protect and preserve incident scene
  • PUAFIR610   Manage imaging and electronic data
    • CIT Code: FIRE171
      Cost: Standard $89.00
      Full fee $280.00
      Description: This unit of competency involves the skills and knowledge required to electronically record evidence at a fire investigation scene. It includes the use, collection and selection of media and the analysis and management of associated data.The unit focuses on developing and applying a systematic approach to electronically recording physical evidence at a fire investigation, using a range of media. Application of this unit is relevant to specialist fire investigators who are required to determine the origin and cause of fires. The fire sector is those sections of government departments, statutory authorities or organisations that have responsibility under jurisdictional arrangements for the delivery of firefighting and fire management services.No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.
      Prerequisites: Nil
  • PUALAW003   Give evidence in a judicial or quasi-judicial setting
    • CIT Code: FIRE172
      Cost: Standard $111.00
      Full fee $340.00
      Description: This unit of competency involves the skills and knowledge required to prepare and present evidence and follow up on the outcomes of proceedings.The unit applies to personnel who may be called as a witness in relation to specific incidents, this may include detailing incident events including operational and organisational procedures. It does not apply to an ongoing role in the presentation of evidence.The fire sector is those sections of government departments, statutory authorities or organisations that have responsibility under jurisdictional arrangements for the delivery of firefighting and fire management services.No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.
      Prerequisites: Nil
  • PUALAW004   Represent the organisation in a judicial or quasi-judicial setting
    • CIT Code: FIRE173
      Cost: Standard $67.00
      Full fee $210.00
      Description: This unit involves the skills and knowledge required to prepare evidence, statements and submissions, select and arrange witnesses and brief counsel.The unit applies to personnel with responsibility for managing organisational response for a judicial or quasi-judicial setting. It is not applicable to personnel with a legal representation role or who are presenting evidence in defence of organisational procedures.The fire sector is those sections of government departments, statutory authorities or organisations that have responsibility under jurisdictional arrangements for the delivery of firefighting and fire management services.No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.
      Prerequisites: Nil
  • PUAWHS002   Maintain safety at an incident scene
    • CIT Code: FIRE174
      Cost: Standard $56.00
      Full fee $170.00
      Description: This unit of competency involves the skills and knowledge required to recognise potential health and safety risks and to then act to eliminate or control those risks at incident scenes and to prevent injury to self, other personnel or members of the public.The unit is applicable to public safety personnel attending an incident scene and links to the individual's duty of care responsibility to maintain personal safety and to be aware of how actions affect the safety of others including team members, other agency/organisational personnel and the public.No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.
      Prerequisites: PUAFIR210 Prevent injury
  • CPPINV3032   Develop factual investigation reports
    • CIT Code: FOSC439
      Cost: Standard $48.00
      Full fee $150.00
      Description:
      Prerequisites: Nil
  • PSPREG039   Gather information through interviews
    • CIT Code: PSAD544
      Cost: Standard $118.00
      Full fee $364.00
      Description: This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to gather information through interviews. This unit applies to those working in regulatory roles. The skills in this unit must be applied in accordance with Commonwealth and State or Territory legislation, Australian standards and industry codes of practice.No occupational licensing, certification or specific legislative requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.
      Prerequisites: Nil

Electives: Complete 3

  • PUAFIR604   Determine origin and cause of structure fire
    • CIT Code: FIRE176
      Cost: Standard $133.00
      Full fee $410.00
      Description: This unit of competency involves the skills and knowledge required to manage the inspection and assessment of a structure fire to determine origin and cause. The unit focuses developing and applying a systematic approach to fire investigation in a structured environment.It includes originating structure fire investigations, securing fire scenes and preserving evidence. It also includes the evaluation and examination of fire debris, identifying and recovering evidence relevant to a fire investigation, packaging items of evidence for examination and conducting a thorough analysis of fire behaviour, development and travel as well as gathering evidence to establish fire cause. Application of this unit is relevant to fire investigators who are required to determine the origin and cause of a structure fires.The fire sector is those sections of government departments, statutory authorities or organisations that have responsibility under jurisdictional arrangements for the delivery of firefighting and fire management services.No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.
      Prerequisites: PUAFIR302 Suppress urban fire
      PUALAW001 Protect and preserve incident scene
      PUALAW002 Conduct initial investigation at incident scene
  • PUAFIR501   Conduct fire investigation and analysis activities
    • CIT Code: FIRE180
      Cost: Standard $265.00
      Full fee $785.00
      Description: This unit of competency involves the skills and knowledge required to respond to an incident and to undertake a preliminary fire investigation prior to the arrival of a specialist fire investigator. The unit is applicable to personnel required to conduct a fire investigation at a fire or related incident. It is not intended for personnel operating in the role of specialist fire investigator. The fire sector is those sections of government departments, statutory authorities or organisations that have responsibility under jurisdictional arrangements for the delivery of firefighting and fire management services. No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.
      Prerequisites: PUALAW001 Protect and preserve incident scene
  • PUAFIR612   Undertake post incident analysis
    • CIT Code: FIRE179
      Cost: Standard $89.00
      Full fee $280.00
      Description: This unit of competency involves the skills and knowledge required to manage or participate in the analysis of an incident after the event. The analysis should review all prior, actual and post aspects of an incident (structure, mobile and wildfire). The unit focuses on developing and applying a systematic approach to a post incident analysis across incidents. It is not intended to address post incident analysis of operational activities. Application of this unit is relevant to fire investigators who conduct post incident analysis of fire investigations.The fire sector is those sections of government departments, statutory authorities or organisations that have responsibility under jurisdictional arrangements for the delivery of firefighting and fire management services.No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.
      Prerequisites: CPPSEC3028A Compile investigative report
      PUAFIR603 Determine origin and cause of wildfire
      PUAFIR604 Determine origin and cause of structure fire
      PUAFIR605 Determine origin and cause of mobile property fire

Related Courses

Graduate Certificate Crime Scene Investigation POL84315
Graduate Certificate Forensic Firearm Examination POL84115
Graduate Certificate Forensic Fingerprint Investigation POL84215
Advanced Diploma Forensic Investigation POL64115
Diploma Forensic Investigation POL54115
Diploma Forensic Identification (Document Examination) 11217NAT
Diploma Forensic Identification (Facial) 11217NAT
Diploma Forensic Identification (Biometrics) 11217NAT
Certificate IV Biometric Technologies 10837NAT

More Information

For more information about this course please contact CIT Student Services on (02) 6207 3188 or email infoline@cit.edu.au