MIJ:
Please give it a rest. There is a standard of care for fire investigation. It is called NFPA 921. Not every fire investiogator accepts that, but it is a fact. Numerous courts have declared it to be so, as have numerous insurance companies, which will not hire an investigator unless he pledges to follow NFPA 921. And last but not least, NAFI has declared NFPA 921 to be the standard of care.
But there is no way to specify how to test every hypothesis. This should be clear to anyone who reads the section on hypothesis testing in NFPA 921. The testing may be either cognitive or experimental. "Thought experiments" are allowed.
The guidance provided in NFPA 921 puts two conditions on hypothesis testing: It must use deductive reasoning, and it must not violate the laws of physics or contradict any valid data that has been collected.
There is no way to specify how to test each of the dozens of hypotheses and sub-hypotheses that are developed in the course of a fire investigation. The current edition of 921 does not do so, nor will the 2008 edition. Maybe you can craft some proposals for the 2011 edition.
John Lentini, CFI, D-ABC
Fire Investigation Consultant
Florida Keys
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www.firescientist.com]