Fire Chief Mike Thompson and firefighter Bill Lane are both state-certified fire investigators who can legally examine the scene of a fire to determine the origin and cause. Thompson, who became state certified in April of 2023, said they used to call a larger department like Sterling or Rock Falls to investigate any fires within the district. For a small volunteer department such as Prophetstown, a certified in-house investigator on the roster ensures that state resources are available when needed.
To become a state-certified fire investigator in Illinois, a department member must complete a certified training program, have the Firefighter II certification, and pass an exam to get certified by the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal (OSFM). In March 2025, Prophetstown Fire Protection District’s Board of Trustees granted Lane’s request to pursue the certification by attending the free 3-week course at the Illinois Fire Service Institute (IFSI) in Champaign, located 180 miles south of Prophetstown.
Since Lane needed to stay in Champaign for the 120-hour course that consisted of classroom work, practicals, and finally, the state test, the board approved $1,500 in travel expenses so he could focus on the intensive course. Lane, who is employed by Nicor, studied diligently and passed the test to join Thompson as an official investigator this summer.
“I am very proud that Billy took the time to get his certification to be able to help myself and the community when we need it,” said Thompson, noting that their investigative team will cover all fires in the entire district, from Prophetstown to Lyndon to Hooppole. They can also be called to help other departments, as long as there’s no fatalities or a fire in a building worth a large amount of money, such as a factory. If there’s a fatality or a large loss financially, they must call in the State Fire Marshal to handle the investigation, though they can assist if requested.
After a fire, when it’s safe to do so and the fire is extinguished, Thompson and Lane will use their investigative tool kit to work together and find out how it started. “We look at the burn patterns to see where the fire was to where it was going,” said Chief Thompson. “We look for damage on items or damage it caused in an area. We also look for patterns to see if an accelerant was used or not. If we suspect there was, we can call the State Fire Marshal in with a K9 and they can help us with that.” If they believe an accelerant was used, they can take a piece of evidence and send it into a lab for testing.
They have to be thorough in their investigations, from taking pictures outside and doing a 360 of the entire area, to taking as many as pictures as possible inside the building. It becomes more difficult to investigate when the fire causes a lot of damage or if there was a lot of overhaul done by firefighting crews. Since most fire-damaged buildings demolished, this makes the timely documentation important.
After all the evidence has been documented, collected, and removed, and after all safety issues have been addressed, they “release the scene” back to the property owner. The investigators next document their findings in a comprehensive report which can be used by various stakeholders such as insurance companies and law enforcement agencies. If a fire was caused by arson, they’ll collaborate with law enforcement to pursue criminal charges.
The investigators have to complete continuing education to maintain their certification. “We have to keep up on our training yearly just like any other certification, and have to recertify every four years,” said Chief Thompson. “We can do this by doing online training that investigator groups offer, we can go take other courses to keep up with them, and when we can do live fire training then we’ll practice then as well.”
The Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal also provides critical support to local fire departments across the state, especially those with limited resources such as Prophetstown, Lyndon, and Hooppole. The OSFM offers round-the-clock access to certified investigators, specialized K-9 units, grants, and training programs.
Thompson has used his investigative skills on four structure fires in Prophetstown, along with an handful of smaller fires and giving assistance to Sterling. Lane has not yet had a chance to investigate a fire since receiving certification, but that’s preferred since it’s best to not have any residential or business fires.
In case there is though, the addition of official fire investigators is a way the department continues to ensure professionalism, independence, efficiency, and continued focus on the residents residing within the Prophetstown Fire Protection District.
Fire investigators Chief Thompson, left, and firefighter Lane celebrate after he received his certification this past summer.
One Response
Congratulations Billy! Prophetstown is fortunate to have such a dedicated and professional team of firefighters.