Aside from the case support function, those aspects of the labs's mission, quoted below from its website have not yet been accomplished. The lab has only been operational for about 30 months, and there have been staffing problems. The transition from Treasury to DOJ has probably not helped much either.


"The FRL will undertake research, education and case support for fire investigation and analysis on behalf of ATF Certified Fire Investigators (CFIs), prosecutors and the fire investigation community at-large. At the present time, there are no fire research facilities in the United States, or elsewhere, dedicated to the specific needs of the fire investigation community. The FRL will provide the opportunity and facilities for scientists, engineers and researchers to work on important fire investigation issues such as:

· Scientific research directed at the determination of fire origin and cause, fire growth and spread and fire scene reconstruction that validates fire scene indicators and improves fire evidence analysis;

· Case support for ATF fire investigations and the conviction of arsonists;

· Development of improved investigation and prosecution procedures that are based on scientifically validated methods that integrate the assets of ATF and its partners to enhance fire investigation personnel knowledge and expertise;

· Establishment of a central repository of fire investigation test data that will be accessible to the fire investigation community to improve public safety; and

· Development of an internationally recognized research and education center for the advancement of knowledge, technology transfer, and case support related to fire cause investigation and fire scene reconstruction.

The FRL will serve as a central repository of scientific information related to fire incident investigation, analysis and reconstruction research. The FRL will disseminate the knowledge derived from this research through scholarly publication in the scientific and investigation literature, through training and education programs and via electronic access."

John Lentini, CFI, D-ABC
Fire Investigation Consultant
Florida Keys
[www.firescientist.com]