First thing to understand is that the article was written by an attorney. This attorney is a Deputy District Attorney. Assisting the author in the writing of the article was a number of persons with ATF. This will explain why the article is written to address public fire investigators.

Thomas Ost-Prisco, Esquire, the author, is a Deputy District Attorney for the Chester County District Attorney’s Office in West Chester, Pennsylvania. He has served as a prosecutor since 1997. Mr. Ost-Prisco is a principal member of the Technical Committee on Fire Investigations (NFPA 921). He is an instructor at the National Fire Academy and has presented lectures at the National Advocacy Center, the National Center for Explosives Training and Research and for the International Association of Arson Investigators. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the District Attorney’s Office of Chester County or any other agency, organization or association. It is his opinion that the proposed changes to the next edition of NFPA 921 will present challenges to investigators when it comes time to offer an opinion on fire cause classification in a legal proceeding.

Jim Mazerat
Forensic Investigations Group