Is this not requiring some degree of classification. The definition of classify is to consider (someone or something) as belonging to a particular group or to arrange in a class. Considering this definition, can one say based on the following that 921 is not saying the investigator should classify to what degree each of the following contributed to the incident. This is especially true when it comes to determine to what degree to which human fault contributed to any one or more of the causal issues described in (1), (2), and (3). Is that not requiring a determination as to the person’s intent. Oh yea, they said the investigator should not be determining the person’s intent.


21.1* General.
21.1.1 The purpose of fire and explosion investigations is
often much broader than just determining the cause of a fire
or explosion incident. The goal of any particular fire investigation
is to come to a correct conclusion about the features of a
particular fire or explosion incident that resulted in death,
injury, damage, or other unwanted outcome. The features can
be grouped under the following four headings:
(1) The cause of the fire or explosion. This feature involves a
consideration of the circumstances, conditions, or agencies
that bring together a fuel, ignition source, and
oxidizer (such as air or oxygen), resulting in a fire or a
combustion explosion.
(2) The cause of damage to property resulting from the incident.
This feature involves a consideration of those factors that
were responsible for the spread of the fire and for the
extent of the loss, including the adequacy of fire protection,
the sufficiency of building construction, and the
contribution of any products to flame spread and to
smoke propagation.
(3) The cause of bodily injury or loss of life. This feature addresses
life safety components such as the adequacy of alarm
systems, sufficiency of means of egress or in-place protective
confinement, the role of materials that emit toxic byproducts
that endanger human life, and the reason for
fire fighter injuries or fatalities.
(4) The degree to which human fault contributed to any one or more
of the causal issues described in (1), (2), and (3). This feature
deals with the human factor in the cause or spread of fire
or in bodily injury and loss of life. It encompasses acts
and omissions that contribute to a loss (responsibility),
such as incendiarism and negligence.

Jim Mazerat
Forensic Investigations Group