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DeHaan, Kirk’s Fire Investigation, 6/e© 2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ


Kirk’s Fire Investigatio

nSixth Edition

John D. DeHaan

Chapter 1Introduction


NFPA 1033Standard for Professional

Qualifications for Fire Investigator2003 Edition



Administration•1.1 Scope –Standard•Performance requirements for fire investigators



Administration•1.2 Purpose–Standard•Minimum job performance requirements for fire investigator in private and public sectors



Administration•1.2.2 Purpose–Duties and job performance requirements •Parameters of the job of fire investigator



Administration•1.3.1 General–The fire investigator shall be at least age 18



Administration•1.3.2 General–The fire investigator shall have a high school diploma or equivalent



Administration•1.3.3 General–Thorough background and character investigation prior to accepting an individual as a candidate for certification as a fire investigator



Administration•1.3.4 General–The job performance requirements for fire investigator shall be completed in accordance with established practices and procedures or as they are defined by law or by the authority having jurisdiction



Administration•1.3.5 General–Training agencies or authorities shall establish program content to prepare individuals to meet the job performance requirements of NFPA 1033



Administration•1.3.6 General–Evaluation of job performance requirements shall be by individuals qualified to conduct the evaluation of an investigator



Administration•1.3.7 General–The fire investigator shall remain current with investigation methodology by attending workshops/ seminars and/or through professional publications and journals



Fire Investigator•4.1.1 General–The fire investigator shall meet the job performance requirements defined in sections 4.2 through 4.7



Fire Investigator•4.1.2 General–The fire investigator shall meet the requirements of 4.2.1 through 4.2.3 of NFPA 472



Fire Investigator•4.1.3 General–The fire investigator shall employ all elements of the scientific method as the operating analytical process throughout the investigation and for the drawing of conclusions


NFPA 921Guide for Fire and

Explosion Investigations2004 Edition



NFPA 9212004 Edition

"The Technical Committee on Fire Investigations shall have primary responsibility relating to techniques to be used in investigating fires….”



Chapter 1 Administration

•Document scope–Fire origin–Fire cause–Responsibility–Prevention




•Document purpose–Establish guidelines–Recommendations•Fire explosion investigations




•Not every portion of the document applies to every fire or explosion investigation



Chapter 4 Basic Methodology

•Fire origin and then cause–Scientific method•Systematically develop and prove hypotheses•Organized approach to fire investigation




•Scientific method of fire investigation–Recognize the need–Define the problem–Collect data–Analyze data–Develop hypotheses




•Scientific method of fire investigation–Test hypotheses–Select final hypothesis




•Fire investigation–Receive assignment–Prepare for investigation–Conduct the investigation–Collect evidence–Analyze evidence–Prepare incident reports


The Fire Problem



The Fire Problem•Fire most costly public safety problem in U.S.

•Only traffic accidents exceed fire injuries and deaths



The Fire Problem•Fire-caused property losses exceed all crime losses and rival natural disasters



The Fire Problem•526,000 structure fires occur annually in the U.S. (2004)

•1,550,500 total fires occurred in 2004 in the U.S.–National Fire Protection Association

–U.S. Fire Administration



The Fire Problem•Structural fires have declined since 1980s; however, fire losses are up due to replacement costs

•$8.3 billion in direct property losses in 2004–National Fire Protection Association



The Fire Problem•91,000 wildland fires destroy 3–8 million acres annually, with $900 million to $1.6 billion in suppression costs

•Estimated over 300,000 vehicle fires each year in U.S.–National Fire Protection Association



The Fire Problem• Annual deaths and injuries 1999–2003–3,570–3,950 civilian deaths–18,000–21,875 civilians injured–100 firefighter deaths–40,000 firefighters injured•National Fire Protection Association



The Fire Problem•Third leading cause of accidental death under age 15

•Seventh leading cause of accidental death in U.S.–National Fire Protection Association



The Fire Problem•Indirect costs of fire–Lost business income–Unemployment–Reduced property values and tax base

–Destroyed watershed, timber, wildlife



The Fire Problem•Total costs: $130–250 billion per year in U.S.



The Fire Investigator•Role of the fire investigator–Accurate and efficient fire cause identification

–Identify accidental fire causes to lead to improved products and practices



The Fire Investigator•Role of the fire investigator–Identify incendiary-caused fires and assist in prosecution

–Assist in regulatory process with proper knowledge of fire prevention


The Detectionof

Incendiary Fires



The Detection of Incendiary Fires

• Arson a leading cause of fire• 250,000 incendiary fires occur annually in the U.S.–Includes structural, wildland•United States Fire Administration

–Conservative estimate by NFPA: 37,000 incendiary structure fires




• Requires more than origin and cause determination–Proper collection of evidence –Written and verbal documentation

–Identify perpetrator –Testify in court




•Issues–Some agencies ignore arson–Arson is a crime against persons•Fire may be used as weapon




•Issues–Fire investigations are difficult

–Fire scenes may be overwhelming in scope




•Issues–Fire must be investigated prior to establishing cause

–Each fire investigation must be handled as if it were a crime scene




•Issues–Fire investigation must be conducted without preconceived opinions, bias, or prejudice


Analytical Fire

Investigation



Analytical Fire Investigation

•Each fire investigation must have a foundation of an organized approach




•Fire origin and cause must be established with certainty




•Fire science and fire dynamics must be understood in order to determine origin and cause




• Understanding the role of fuels is critical–Thermal conductivity–Heat capacity–Ignition –Flame spread–Heat of combustion–Heat release rate


Scientific Method of Fire

Investigation



Scientific Method•Observe an event such as a fire scene



Scientific Method•Define the problem–Usually to determine how the fire started

–May include who was responsible and what factors contributed to the fire or deaths or injuries



Scientific Method•Collect data–Information about the event•Witness interviews•Scene examination•Fuel load•Videos or photographs of fire in progress



Scientific Method• Formulate a working hypothesis–An estimate of what the first fuel was

–What ignition source was present

–How long the fire took to grow

–Etc.



Scientific Method•Test the hypothesis against all available data–Collect new data from the scene

–Witnesses–Literature–Tests



Scientific Method•Test the hypothesis against all available data–This includes the formation of alternative hypotheses that must be tested



Scientific Method•Revise hypothesis as needed to fit the available data

•Gather new data if needed–From published sources–From tests–From interviews



Scientific Method•Reach a final hypothesis, review it against all data, and ensure that all other possibilities are excluded



Scientific Method•Report the final conclusion–Along with other possible explanations that cannot be excluded based on available information



Sources•Sources for guidance in methods should be peer-reviewed published guides–NFPA 921–NIJ Guide–Icove and DeHaan, Forensic Fire Scene Reconstruction

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