The development of test plans and the documentation of evidence at a fire scene is also an art.

CSE sponsored doctoral thesis work on the use of a CFD code to simulate fire conditions in reduced gravity environments. The experiments were conducted here on earth with the use of an apparatus with fans to reduce the force of gravity on an object. The student passed their final doctoral thesis defense. Otherwise, the experiments would have had to be conducted on a space shuttle, a "vomit comet" (nose diving airplane), or a "drop tower." This required creativity and imagination in the development of a test plan. Since there is limited time and space on the space shuttle and drop towers, this doctoral thesis work would have not readily happened without a tractable or practical alternative.

With respect to scene documentation and the collection of data, I was fortunate to have worked with Lee West for a few years. He will not like that I singled him out in this example. He is the best I have worked with with his skills associated with fire scene documentation. I still marvel at his imagination and creativity with respect to documenting the fire scene, even more recently. I remember him running to the store to get a gallon of milk that he poured on the floor to document the flow of liquids on the floor. He used milk because the white color showed up in pictures better than water. He could write a book on this subject. Sorry, Lee.

Just two examples of how art plays a role in the application of the SM.

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