One consistent structure
Every report follows the same NFPA 921 sections, whether it is written by a 20-year investigator or a new one.
For departments & fire marshals
Consistent fire investigation reports across your whole department
When every investigator writes reports a different way, quality drifts and defensibility suffers. Car56 gives your unit one NFPA 921 structure, captured in the field and drafted the same way every time.
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$10 per investigator each month, after 3 months free.
Why departments standardize on Car56
Defensible by design
Clear methodology, attributed statements, and a firm line between observation and determination hold up under review.
Field-ready on any phone
Investigators capture photos, scan IDs, dictate notes, and pull weather and parcel data at the scene, on the device in their pocket.
Faster onboarding
A guided form means a newer investigator produces a complete report without memorizing the outline.
Work that follows the case
Cases save automatically and reopen on any device, so a report started at 2 a.m. is finished at the office.
Export to your system
Download finished reports as PDF, Word, or text to file in your records however your department already works.
The investigator still determines origin and cause. Car56 documents observations and states the determinations your investigators provide. It never reaches a conclusion on its own.
Draft the report before the rig is back in service
A structure fire at 0300 still gets a report. Car56 runs on the phone already in the investigator's pocket. Photograph the scene, dictate observations, scan an ID, and pull weather for the time of alarm while overhaul is underway. The draft is started before the rig goes back in service.
Consistent files for fire marshal review
Fire marshal review moves faster when every file reads the same. Section order, methodology language, and photo placement match across the unit, whoever wrote the report. The reviewer knows where the pattern descriptions and witness statements sit. Feedback lands on substance, and sign-off comes quicker.
Train new investigators on one structure
The guided form is the outline. A new investigator works the same sections the senior investigator works, and a first report comes out complete. Mentors compare like against like. Judgment comes from training and case time. The structure is already on the page.
Records requests, court, and joint scenes
Records requests
A public records request or a subpoena can land a year after the scene is released. A complete report with dated photographs and a stated methodology answers it. Export the PDF and send it.
Court appearances
Investigators testify from their reports. A consistent structure puts every fact where the investigator expects to find it, on the stand, on a case from three years back.
Mutual aid and joint scenes
State fire marshal, ATF, a neighboring department. Your department files its own report on the shared scene. Record your agency's role and assignments, and the file stands on its own.
Bring Car56 to your investigators
Start free for three months. After that it is $10 per investigator each month, with no contract.
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