Use of damage in fire investigation: a review of fire patterns analysis, research and future direction

Gregory E Gorbett,Nicholas A Dembsey,Christopher B Wood,Brian J Meacham

doi:10.1186/s40038-015-0008-4

Gregory E Gorbett, Nicholas A Dembsey + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s40038-015-0008-4

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Abstract

Fire investigators have historically relied upon damage as a means to conclude where a fire originated. This review evaluates the historical and current literature on the topic, with a specific emphasis towards the research conducted over the past 80 years related to fire patterns. The concept of fire patterns for this review has been broken into four components that better assist in evaluating their effectiveness in determining an area of origin. The first component evaluated is the ability to assess the varying degree of fire damage along the surfaces of the compartment and contents. Next, the ability to identify clusters of damage was evaluated. Interpretation of the causal factors for the generation of the fire patterns was next appraised. Finally, the availability of processes using fire patterns in determining an area of origin was assessed. This deconstruction of the problem provides a gap analysis of the current processes and identifies areas where future work is needed. A seven step reasoning process for evaluating damage for determining the area of origin, along with a new definition for the term fire pattern is proposed.

Highlights

Forensic science is defined as the application of a broad spectrum of sciences to answer questions of interest to the legal system, including both criminal and civil actions (Houck and Siegel 2006)
Ventilation-generated (VG) fire patterns Characteristics of the damage linked with ventilationgenerated patterns during ventilation-controlled conditions are large surface areas of damage, increased magnitude of damage, damage found near unsealed drywall seams and angled lines of demarcation located around the ventilation opening or directly opposite of a door opening
The literature review of fire pattern usage in the fire investigation profession illustrates several gaps with the overall process of using damage to determine an area of origin

Summary

Introduction

Forensic science is defined as the application of a broad spectrum of sciences to answer questions of interest to the legal system, including both criminal and civil actions (Houck and Siegel 2006). Fire origin determination is largely a matter of fire pattern recognition and interpretation (NFPA 2014) Much of this interpretation is implicit and subject to investigator bias, with assignment of interpretation to patterns being largely dependent on the investigator’s knowledge, experience, education, training and skill, without the benefit of a structured framework to help guide the investigator through the process. This is of particular concern with respect to the importance of being able to identify and properly weigh potentially subtle differences from one fire scene to the some of which could have significant bearing on the development of the fire and the interpretation of the evidence. The present paper establishes a review of the work done over the past 80 years, which addresses the current situation of the profession in light of this recommendation by the National Academy of Sciences

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