The level of ignorance of the general methodology that needs to be applied to fire investigation has decreased within the profession. So from that standpoint there has been significant advancement within the community.

With that said, how to practice and apply "science" through the use of a reliable scientific methodology and the application of fundamental knowledge of the behavior of fire to an actual scenario to produce a scientifically reliable result still is significantly lacking.

For the most part, the "war" has been calmed with respect to what reliable methodology to use in the investigation of fire and explosion incidents. The current "war" is being waged against the qualifications of investigators. Do you have the prerequisite fundamental knowledge of the science of fire to be a fire investigator?

The next battle ground will be issues related to the reliable application of fundamental knowledge to a specific set of facts and evidence. The current use of unreliable methodologies, as mentioned by Paul, provides insight as to how well some investigators will fair when significantly challenged. I would say that we will not see significant change until the community is able to reliably apply the Scientific Method and produce scientifically reliable determinations.The continued discourse on the use of the "process of elimination" as a scientifically reliable methodology in fire investigation tends to highlight that we are still a ways from where the community should be, given the current level of practical application of scientific knowledge.

Douglas J. Carpenter, MScFPE, CFEI, PE, FSFPE
Vice President & Principal Engineer
Combustion Science & Engineering, Inc.
8940 Old Annapolis Road, Suite L
Columbia, MD 21045
(410) 884-3266
(410) 884-3267 (fax)
www.csefire.com