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The third edition of the fire investigation Code of Practice comes into effect October 2026. Although similar to the second edition and still having the same number of pages, there are a couple of significant changes.
For example, the new CoP recognises that its focus is on fire cause, but not the actions of people or organisations - see section 2.5: "The Code of Practice is focused on the proximate causes of fires starting and spreading. While acknowledging their importance, it does not specifically address ultimate or distal causes of fire, such as human or organisational factors which might have created the conditions for the proximate cause/s to arise."
Also, it address suspected ignitable liquids and the need for samples to be sent for analysis in a timely fashion. See 7.4.9. "Where samples are recovered from a fire and/or explosion scene following indication by a portable hydrocarbon detector, hydrocarbon detection dog or a suspected odour, those samples should be submitted for chemical analytical testing in a laboratory to confirm the presence of ignitable liquids for forensic reporting purposes. This needs to be done in a timely manner to reduce the risk of degradation of samples."