Fire Investigation Research Articles

Analysis of a Fire Case Caused by Heat Generation due to Cu2O Breeding

Although fires caused by heat generation due to Cu<sub>2</sub>O breeding in wire connections are well-known among fire investigators, there are few papers on the analysis and introduction of fire cases by heat generation due to Cu<sub>2</sub>O breeding. This study analyzed fire statistics caused by heat generation in electrical connections and the phenomena and features of heat generation due to Cu<sub>2</sub>O breeding. Then, a fire which occurred in the wire connection in a university lab by heat generation due to Cu<sub>2</sub>O breeding was analyzed in more detail. This fire case could reach a conclusion that heat generation due to Cu<sub>2</sub>O breeding caused a fire in the wire connection through the fire pattern investigation of fire origin, the visual investigation of wire connection, 3D CT, power-on-test, and stereoscopic microscopy, SEM and EDS analysis.

A burned body with a gunshot wound in the mouth and a suicide note: A complex or complicated suicide?

The body of a 53-year-old man was found in a burning car. The ignition key was in start position and the accelerator pedal was held down by his right foot. Autopsy revealed a gunshot entrance wound in the hard palate, a bullet track through the anterior cranial fossa and a projectile lodged in the left frontal lobe. The brain stem was free of lesions and any signs of secondary brain injury, such as brain oedema and intracranial haemorrhage, were not significant. Soot deposits and thermal injury to the mucosa were observed in the airways below the glottis and carboxyhaemoglobin (COHb) saturation was 40%. A single bullet case and a handgun were recovered next to the driver's seat. Fire investigators identified the motor as the beginning of the burning: therefore, the conclusion was that the car had caught fire due to overheating of the engine. Differential diagnosis between complex and complicated suicide was essential. The cause of death was identified as carbon monoxide intoxication, and the injuries to the brain were not felt to be immediately fatal. The case has been classified as a complicated suicide. There are no other published cases of a complicated suicide involving exposure to fire or the use of firearms.

Accurate and rapid discrimination of cigarette and household decoration material ash residues by negative chemical ionization TOFMS via acid-enhanced evaporation

The detection and identification of cigarette ash in fire debris can be meaningful in fire investigations caused by burning cigarettes. In this work, a novel analytical method based on negative chemical ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (NCI/TOFMS) combined with a phosphoric-acid-enhanced evaporation strategy has been developed for the discrimination of cigarette ash samples (CAs) and common household decoration material ash samples (CHDMAs). A series of characteristic ions representing the acidified products HNCO and formic acid in the CAs were achieved, whose signal responses were enhanced with the help of mechanical agitation operation. To account for both the signal responses of the characteristic ions and acid corrosion of the ion source, the dynamic-purge gas was chosen to be 200 mL/min. The whole time for analysis was only 5 min, which is suitable for high-throughput measurements of large quantities of fire debris. As a result, a preliminary discrimination was achieved between the CAs and CHDMAs by virtue of the chemometric tool of principal components analysis (PCA) based on intensity differences of the characteristic ions. The results are encouraging and highlight the potential of NCI/TOFMS without complicated sample preparation steps for the accurate and high-throughput identification of cigarette ash on substrates in fire debris.

전원주택 구들 난방의 화재위험성에 대한 실험적 연구

There exist no safety regulations about gudle(Korean traditional floor heating system) construction at least. Since researches are only focused on thermal efficiency, peoples are exposed to the risk of fire. The research is studied how each the shape of agungi and thermal circulation status of gorae affects on the combustible material on the wall. Also, it was tested that how the use status of proper/inproper imatdol at top of hamsil would affect on the combustible material on the wall too. On the basis of derived risk, the study suggestes fire precautions with a guideline of fire safety standards on gudle constructions. Furthermore, it helps to establish a fire investigation manual that can be used by fire inspectors and propagate to academic associations and organizations to eliminate the risk of fire. Also, contribute to the safety design of gudle system is anticipated.

Microscopic and Metallurgical Studies as a Function on Forensic Investigation of Electrical Fires

Electrical wires with melted ends showing beaded, drop-shaped, and pointed shapes are frequently encountered after fires that may provide useful information on the cause and development of the fire.Various methods have been studied for differentiating between primary arcing beads, (indicating arcing as the fire cause) and secondary arcing beads (indicating arcing as a result of the fire). There are few studies carried out on the melting globules produced due to fire heat. Also, in some major cases, primary arcing beads and secondary arcing beads are difficult to be identified by using one method. In this study, a full scheme of differentiating methods between simulated samples of melting globules, primary arcing beads and secondary arcing beads are processed with macroscopic investigation. The in-depth composition of carbon quantitative analysis and metallurgical analysis of these samples have been studied. The results of this study has proved that the real cases are compatible with simulated ones.

Analysis of Timeline and Casualties of a Factory Fire

A factory fire usually does more damage to property than to life when compared to fires affecting other buildings. Unlike general factory fires, a fire that occurred in an electronics factory, ataround 3:40 p.m. on August 21, 2018, had 15 casualties, 9 dead and 6 wounded. In this study, the timeline and the status of casualties of this factory fire are analyzed, in detail, based on fire investigation results and other data collected at the site.

Experimental investigation of n-Heptane ring fires with varying shape characteristics under sub-atmospheric pressures

ABSTRACT The influences of shape characteristics and pressure on n-Heptane ring fire were investigated through two groups of experiments. In group A, the ring fire with varying shape characteristics was conducted. In group B, the ring fire was performed under sub-atmospheric pressures including 45 kPa, 60 kPa, 75 kPa, and 90 kPa. The results show that the mass loss rate is determined by combined results of air entrainment and heat dissipation effect. The flame structure is divided into merged flame and separated flame. The axis temperature has no significant difference in growth stage but presents a corresponding relationship in decrease stage.

DNA and fingerprint recovery from an arson scene

The different methods of both DNA and fingerprint recovery from arson scenes are analysed within this literature. Arson is often used as a mode of concealment due to the wide misconception that fire destroys fundamental evidence. Advances in recent research and technologies have meant that techniques have been developed to further aid and enhance the recovery of evidence that has been exposed to the extreme conditions of a fire. In the forefront of all fire investigations where evidence recovery is paramount, the stages of the fire should be taken into consideration and pre-eminent soot removal techniques carried out in order to expose and visualise any evidence present. Although evaluation of current literature demonstrates that exceptional results from both fingerprints and DNA exposed to fire can be obtained, through different enhancement techniques, further research and developments are required in order to ensure these essential developments are standardised and mandatory to all arson scenes.

Bushfire investigations in Australia

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the process of collective leadership in emergency management organisations. More specifically, the authors investigate the conditions that enable or prevent collective leadership amongst key actors in the emergency management network in bushfire investigations. We also examine how chief investigators facilitate the conditions to effectively distribute leadership and the role of social networks within this process.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative case study approach was undertaken, and 18 semi-structured interviews were carried out with chief investigators, 6 at each of three agencies in Australia. A framework for understanding collective leadership (Friedrich et al., 2016) was used to examine key leadership constructs, baseline leadership and outcomes relative to bushfire investigations.FindingsFindings demonstrate that there is no evidence of collective leadership at the network level of bushfire investigations. There is mixed evidence of collective leadership within bushfire investigation departments, with the Arson Squad being the only government agency to engage in collective leadership. The authors found evidence that government bureaucracy and mandated protocols inhibited the ability of formal leaders to distribute leadership, gauge a clear understanding of the level of skill and expertise amongst chief investigators and poor communication that inhibited knowledge of investigations.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was limited to three bushfire investigative agencies. A future study will be carried out with other stakeholders, such as fire investigators and firefighters in the field.Practical implicationsFor the government, emergency management agencies and other stakeholders, a key enabler of collective leadership within the emergency management network is the presence of a formal leader within a network. That leader has the authority and political ability to distribute leadership to other experts.Social implicationsThe paper contributes to developing a better understanding of the efficacy and challenges associated with the application of collective leadership theory in a complex government bureaucracy. There are positive implications for the safety of firefighters, the protection of the broader community, their properties and livestock.Originality/valueThe authors address the lack of literature on effective leadership processes amongst emergency management agencies. The paper contributes to extending collective leadership theory by unpacking the processes through which leadership is distributed to team members and the role of institutions (i.e. fire investigation bureaucracy) on social networks within this integrative process. The authors provide new insights into the practice of collective leadership in complex bureaucratic organisations.

Postearthquake fire performance of cavity-insulated CFS shear walls with gypsum and calcium-silicate sheathing

Abstract This paper presented a detailed postearthquake fire investigation of cavity-insulated cold-formed steel (CFS) shear walls lined with face-layer gypsum (GP) boards and base-layer calcium-silicate (CS) boards on both sides. Four identical full-scale specimens with 3.0 m lengths and 3.0 m widths were constructed. The first specimens were subjected to ISO834 fire without earthquake damage. The other three specimens were first tested under cyclic loading to different drift ratios, and then the fire experiments were conducted. Three types of failure modes of CFS frame are identified and the corresponding generation mechanism is discussed. The relationship between the drift ratio and fire resistance time (FRT) is presented for the shear walls with the load ratio of 0.27. Meanwhile, by substituting GP board with CS board as the base-layer sheathing, the FRT was extended from 48 min to 66 min, and the shear strength and initial stiffness were increased by 21.5% and 39%, respectively; moreover, the postearthquake FRT was extended from only 8 min to 40 min when the drift ratio reached 3.5%. The degradation mechanism of postearthquake FRT is also discussed. In addition, it is found that the fire experiments of the same CFS walls can have good repeatability, especially regarding the FRT, failure mode and time-temperature curves. Finally, for the fire design practice, the overlapped board joints on the same side of double-layer sheathing should be avoided to the greatest extent and the CFS walls with GP and CS board sheathing on either side are recommended in mid-rise CFS buildings.

On Improvement of the Quality of Forensic Fire Investigations

Circumstances having a significant impact on the quality of the conduct of fire investigations in forensic organizations of various agencies are considered. This mainly follows from the shortcomings of inquest and investigation on this category of cases, inadequate number of verified and recommended for forensic practice methods and computer programs, rare use of existing programs, contradictions of legislative acts regulating fire and explosion safety of different objects, from some experts’ insufficient qualification. Absence of data banks on fires and forensic examinations conducted on them as well as of courts’ decisions is common; there is no experimental base to research the fire risk indicators and physical and chemical properties of substances and materials along with the characteristics of their ignition and combustion considering all the conditions of the fire.It is shown that further development of fire forensics and its effectiveness will largely depend on the progress in addressing the aforementioned shortcomings as well as on the success of the academic pursuits and of undertaking the necessary engineering research.

The use of numerical models as a modern tool in fire investigation

Investigating the fire type events is characterized by a high degree of complexity, due to the fact that it has to find answers to aspects coming from multidisciplinary fields: technical-scientific, legal, organizational, psychological, etc. The management of the findings, the analyzed samples, and the resulting data implies a series of complex activities, based on the use of advanced procedures and techniques. Fire investigation aims to determine the source of ignition and all the components that contribute to define the cause of the fire, to assess the motivations of the involved persons and to decipher the mechanism of heat transfer or burning processes that describes the propagation and development of a fire. Often, in order to understand the mechanism of the pyrogenic phenomenon, the following approaches are used in the current practice: technical-scientific expertises, reconstruction of the event on the field or in the laboratory, sample analysis, and, last but not least, computer simulations. This paper aims to highlight the role of the numerical models used in the field of fire safety, respectively in the elaboration of the post-event, technical-scientific expertises, by presenting some results obtained from the computer simulations, used to substantiate the fire mechanism and to formulate the conclusions.

Optimizing the computational simulations of air-flammable gas explosions using HPC and Ansys software

The purpose of this scientific work is to improve computer simulations of flammable air-gas explosions with HPC systems. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is increasingly used for obtaining variable values of fluid flow areas, respectively for the manner in which fluids react with limited surfaces. For a separate analysis of liquids and gases is used CFD, and for more realistic results is used the multi-phase method performed by ANSYS Fluent, which improves the calculation scalability and power. For increasing the processing speed for complex analyses, with multiple geometries and fine meshes, ANSYS provides the user HPC (High Performance Computing) tools applicable for structural, thermal, electromagnetic, fluid dynamics and explicit dynamics solvers. HPC configuration is characterized by a good scalability, having the capacity for future extension of cores or processors. For decreasing the computational simulation time for explosions, the proposed solution consists in running complex simulations on the servers of a HPC cluster. In this way is provided the possibility for a parallel or distributed running on one or several calculation systems. Using HPC along ANSYS applications may be activated by GPU acceleration, while other applications are limited to processing using CPUs. INSEMEX develops technical investigations of explosions and fires occurred in the industrial or civilian field, in compliance with Government Decision 1461/2006, based on the verification of scenarios using virtual computational simulations.

Деловая игра как форма эффективного изучения вопросов охраны труда

Introduction. The article analyzes the most likely damage from fatal industrial accidents. The analysis revealed the main cause of industrial accidents — violation of safety requirements during the organization of various works and their implementation in practice. A special role in the prevention of accidents is played by the process of employee training, which requires careful preparation. That is why, in order to minimize accidents and erroneous actions of personnel, it is proposed to introduce a new business game "Guardians of labor" into the practice of training. Problem Statement. The objectives of this research: creating a business game for learning and adapting security requirements at the enterprise; developing and comparing different options for evaluating security solutions; developing information analysis skills; developing the activity of game participants. Theoretical Part. Training in the form of a business game gives you the opportunity to work out the skills of analyzing information, evaluating and comparing different approaches to solving a problem. The authors of this study created a business game "Guardians of labor". It helps you to strengthen knowledge of occupational safety and health, fire safety, first aid and accident investigation. Conclusion. The proposed method helps improving the professional qualities of students, develops the ability to reasonably defend their opinions and analyze alternative approaches.

Investigating the oxidation behavior of carbon steel in fire scene: a new method for fire investigations

Investigating the oxidation behavior of carbon steel in fire scene: a new method for fire investigations

보안시스템 이벤트기록을 활용한 발화지점 판정에 관한 연구

The event data generated by the thermal detector of security system installed in the fire target and the fire space is analyzed, which is used as the basic data for determining the initial firing point. The operation principle, detection distance, detection angle, and effects of the thermal detector are checked, and the direction of combustion is verified by analyzing the data of the heat-sensor event due to the flow of flames and smoke. The reproducibility test of the fire case proves that the ignition point and fire behavior, by reinterpreting the sensor operation event data according to the detection range and blind range of the thermal detector, and confirms that the thermal detector can be an important factor in determining the firing point during the fire investigation.

Analysis of Problems of and Measures Against Fires Originating from Ceilings

Five or six catastrophic fires occur in Korea each year. When catastrophic fires originate from a ceiling, they commonly result in many casualties. This study focused on six catastrophic fire cases that originated from the ceiling, which resulted in many casualties, and analyzed their characteristics and problems. According to this analysis, five measures were proposed. 1) When fires originate from a ceiling, an indoor hydrant should be used instead of an extinguisher. 2) The spread of fire and smoke to the upper floors should be blocked against vertical penetration using fireproof charging. 3) The use of combustible materials above the ceiling must be avoided. 4) Synthetic resin conduits, connections, and cable trays must be replaced with metal conduits, connections, and cable ducts to prevent fires caused by electrical factors. 5) Fire detectors must be installed if combustible materials are present in the space above the ceiling. Keywords: Ceiling Fire, Catastrophic Fire, Fire Case Analysis, Fire Investigation

How to share and utilise expertise in a police forensic department through externalisation and mutualisation

The technique of fire investigation is a forensic domain in which expertise and analogies play a central role. To learn how fire investigators use these analogies to support their work, we conducted an ethnographic study in a Swiss forensic police department. To propose a suitable knowledge-management strategy, we also evaluated the knowledge conservation and sharing within the department. Our results highlighted that actionable knowledge is registered mainly in the investigators’ memories of a few, very experienced, individuals. Without experience with fire-incident investigations, an agent generally requires help from a more experienced colleague, who will then use his memory to find a similar case, which can contribute to the solution of the ongoing one. The research also established that knowledge is exchanged orally during on-site investigations and that knowledge receivers are generally those who are present on the scene. Using these findings, we suggest building a case library to support the externalisation and sharing of knowledge.

Biodiesel oil pool fire under air crossflow conditions: Burning rate, flame geometric parameters and temperatures

The replacement of fossil fuels with renewable ones is an irreversible worldwide trend. More specifically, biodiesel made either from animal fat residue or vegetable oil is being increasingly used. Biodiesel storage tanks are as prone to hazardous fires as other fuel tanks. In this article we present the results of an experimental investigation of biodiesel B100 pool fires in reduced scale submitted to an air crossflow. Regular and infrared images were used to obtain flame geometric parameters and temperature fields for conditions ranging from quiescent air to crossflow velocities of up to 4.0 m/s. Mass burning rates were also obtained for the same air flow conditions. Results were compared with a previous study of regular diesel pool fires conducted with the same experimental apparatus and correlations from literature. It was shown that, compared to diesel fires, biodiesel fires presented longer flames and higher temperatures both in the flame and plume regions as well as downstream of the pool. This indicates that biodiesel storage devices are likely more prone to dangerous fire events than diesel ones.

Experimental investigation of compartment fires with circular opening: From the aspects of internal temperature and facade flame

This paper experimentally investigated the internal temperature and the facade flame for compartment fires involving circular openings. A series of experiments were carried out by using a reduced-scale model which composed of a cube compartment with various circular openings and a vertical fireproofing board (used as building facade). A porous burner with propane fuel was set inside the compartment as fire source. The internal temperature profile was measured by vertical thermocouple arrays at the inner and outer corners, and the facade flame was captured by a CCD camera from a side view. This paper revealed that: (1) With the same area, maximum heat release rate inside the compartment with circular opening is larger than that with square opening. (2) For relatively larger circular openings, facade flames tend to ceiling jet flame extension. With the increasing of heat release rate, facade flame induced by ceiling jet flame extension will convert to spill fire plume. (3) A dimensionless number R, which represents the ratio of total heat release rate to internal maximum heat release rate, is proposed to distinguish spill fire plume and ceiling jet flame extension when facade flames appear at exterior. (4) A non-dimensional correlation is developed to characterize the facade flame heights for both ceiling jet flame extension and spill fire plume. These findings and results can provide fundamental knowledge for understanding compartment fire with a circular opening.