The Ohio Revised Code requires that the cause of all fires be determined and the collected data be filed with the Ohio Division of State Fire Marshal via the Ohio Fire Incident Reporting System. This data helps to establish trends and find potential defective products so those issues can be resolved and prevent further fires.

All fires in the City of Chillicothe are investigated by our personnel. If the company officer on the scene of a fire feels that he or she is unable to accurately determine the cause of the fire, an investigator from our Investigations Bureau is brought in to conduct an origin and cause investigation. Should the fire be determined to be a criminal act, they will continue with the investigation and file charges where appropriate.

The investigators of the Chillicothe Fire Department are appointed by Ordinance of the City Council, and have police power (including arrest) under the Ohio Revised Code Section 737.27, but only regarding violation of the law as they relate to fire. They also are authorized to issue subpoenas, compel testimony, and place witnesses under oath along with other various powers and authorities.

The Fire Investigations Unit of the Chillicothe Fire Department has an investigation tool available that no other department in Southern Ohio has...an arson canine. The term "arson canine" is actually an inaccurate term. Several other things have been suggested to better reflect what these dogs do on a fire scene. Things like "Accelerant Detection Canine" and "Potentially Ignitable Flammable or Combustible Detection Canine" have been suggested. With the suggestion of such lengthy names, you can probably see why the term "Arson Dog" or "Arson Canine" is still used. The canine is used to sniff floors and other things at fire scenes to look for the presence of ignitable liquids such as gasoline or kerosene that may have been used to make a fire burn faster, or spread to areas remote from the point where a fire may have been set.The dog used by the Chillicothe FD is named Winchester, and is partnered with Asst. Chief Steve Gallagher as his handler. They were both trained by Maine Specialty Canine in Alfred, Maine and are certified as an Accelerant Detection Canine Unit and a Police Canine Unit through the Maine State Criminal Justice Academy. The entire 5 week training program was paid for by State Farm Insurance under a grant program where they provide around 10 dogs annually for various areas of the US and Canada.