Fire Wrote:
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> Not trying to start a fight but I have never used
> this in a fire scene. So when is it good to use
> it. Thermometry that is.

Thermometry is seldom, if ever needed at the fire scene. It is frequently used during the post-scene analysis, or in cases of fire safety or code compliance cases in which the various physics or thermodynamic formulae present themselves.

Using these techniques, such as Ideal Gas Law, Flash Point comparisons of various ignitable liquids, comparison of material ignition temperatures and responses to heat, etc., when the temperature input data must be either determined in the laboratory or from references. These are consideration mostly used in fire analysis rather than mere fire scene investigation.

As I have mentioned before, the best example of the need for a basic understanding of thermometry and how and when to use it is the individual who thinks that 100 degrees Fahrenheit is twice and hot as 50 degrees F.; or that liquid “A” with a point of 50 C. is twice as susceptible to ignition as liquid “B” with a flash point of 100 C.

But most telling of all is the evaluation of the professional competence of a “fire investigator” who doesn’t know simple thermometry or how and when t needs to be applied. Since that individual s qualifications do not meet NFPA Standard 1033.

Pat Kennedy, CFEI, CFPS, MIFireE
Fire and Explosion Analyst
Sarasota, Florida
[www.kennedy-fire.com]