Fire/Arson Investigations : Fire/Arson Investigations
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Re: My 2 cents for 921
Posted by: PMK140 (IP Logged)
Date: April 05, 2007 05:43PM
Here’s what I think we (and NFPA 921) are talking about- the ten most common “Old Wives’ Tales” (in order of occurrence/importance, except for #10):
1. “Negative Corpus” – “I have eliminated all other innocent fire causes; therefore all that is left is arson.”
2. The presence of a “For Sale” sign in front of the building is evidence of a possible motive for arson. (Read: Motive proves Arson).
3. Burning on the floor is an indicator of an ignitable liquid fire (arson).
4. Holes burned through the floor are indicative of liquid fuels (arson).
5. Accelerated fires burn faster, hotter, at higher temperatures, (take your choice) than “normal” fires
6. Fires “seek” oxygen.
7. The presence of spalling on concrete means “Arson” (i.e. the use of an ignitable liquid).
8. Wide “V’s” indicate slow fires; Narrow “V’s” mean fast fires.
9. In an explosion, walls blown out from the bottom indicate heavier than air fuels [specific gravity (air), vapor density, greater than 1]: while walls blown out from the top indicate lighter than air fuels [specific gravity (air), vapor density, less than 1].
10. Relative “expertise” can be judged by number of years of experience as a fire investigator.
I am sure I have missed several and it is arguable which are the most common and in which order. It is also arguable that “Old Wives Tale” No. 10 may be just a reiteration of the first nine.
Here’s my point, (yes, I have one), these “Old Wives’ Tales: have been the source of many a poorly drawn fire cause conclusion, and all the legal, moral, ethical, and life changing consequences that follow from them. These consequences have included: loss of property, economic freedom, personal freedom, and even the lives, of many innocent victims. It was not until the promulgation of NFPA 921, in 1992, that there was ever a widely accepted lexicon by which the purveyors of these travesties could be struck down, and exposed for the dinosaurs that they were.
Oddly enough, nearly all of these “Old Wives’ Tales” have a basis in science. The fault is in the broadening of the “specific” to the “general.” It is the very basis of Mr. Holmes’ posted comment: paraphrased- “I might not have been right, but I wasn’t wrong.”
With all respect to Mr. Holmes, it is way too late for such thinking. Too many innocent people have been ruined, incarcerated, and put to death.
Pat Kennedy, CFEI, CFPS, MIFireE
Fire and Explosion Analyst
Sarasota, Florida
[www.kennedy-fire.com]
1. “Negative Corpus” – “I have eliminated all other innocent fire causes; therefore all that is left is arson.”
2. The presence of a “For Sale” sign in front of the building is evidence of a possible motive for arson. (Read: Motive proves Arson).
3. Burning on the floor is an indicator of an ignitable liquid fire (arson).
4. Holes burned through the floor are indicative of liquid fuels (arson).
5. Accelerated fires burn faster, hotter, at higher temperatures, (take your choice) than “normal” fires
6. Fires “seek” oxygen.
7. The presence of spalling on concrete means “Arson” (i.e. the use of an ignitable liquid).
8. Wide “V’s” indicate slow fires; Narrow “V’s” mean fast fires.
9. In an explosion, walls blown out from the bottom indicate heavier than air fuels [specific gravity (air), vapor density, greater than 1]: while walls blown out from the top indicate lighter than air fuels [specific gravity (air), vapor density, less than 1].
10. Relative “expertise” can be judged by number of years of experience as a fire investigator.
I am sure I have missed several and it is arguable which are the most common and in which order. It is also arguable that “Old Wives Tale” No. 10 may be just a reiteration of the first nine.
Here’s my point, (yes, I have one), these “Old Wives’ Tales: have been the source of many a poorly drawn fire cause conclusion, and all the legal, moral, ethical, and life changing consequences that follow from them. These consequences have included: loss of property, economic freedom, personal freedom, and even the lives, of many innocent victims. It was not until the promulgation of NFPA 921, in 1992, that there was ever a widely accepted lexicon by which the purveyors of these travesties could be struck down, and exposed for the dinosaurs that they were.
Oddly enough, nearly all of these “Old Wives’ Tales” have a basis in science. The fault is in the broadening of the “specific” to the “general.” It is the very basis of Mr. Holmes’ posted comment: paraphrased- “I might not have been right, but I wasn’t wrong.”
With all respect to Mr. Holmes, it is way too late for such thinking. Too many innocent people have been ruined, incarcerated, and put to death.
Pat Kennedy, CFEI, CFPS, MIFireE
Fire and Explosion Analyst
Sarasota, Florida
[www.kennedy-fire.com]
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