dcarpenter Wrote:

> I was interested in the technical basis for their
> determination of the origin. If asked, how would
> they technically support their analysis and
> determination? If there is no technical basis,
> then isn't their analysis and determination
> subjective at best?
>
> I have other comments and questions, but I will
> start a new and more generic thread. You, Dan,
> have been very honest and gracious in answereing
> my questions. I have my opinions on the validity
> of using burn patterns to determine the origin of
> a fire. I do not want to single you out since the
> teaching of the interpretation of burn patterns
> occurs all across the fire investigation community
> and not just in your state.


Doug,

I will be brief because I don't much care for writing the long drawn out posts (plus, I should probably get some work done today)

The purpose of the O&C class was to give the new students a scientific basis for investigating a fire scene. Straight out of 921.

We also taught report writing because it is a problem....Enough said.

We had them work an actual burn cell. The point of this was to let it burn post flashover for quite a while to show that it is very difficult (and depending how long it burned post flashover virtually impossible) to determine even the "Area of Origin" of the fire. I think this is an area we probably agree and, yes, it has been a problem.

We presented the class on fire setting firemen because it is a problem everywhere. The Louisiana State Fire Marshal's Office has arrested about 25 arsonists who work for fire departments in the last year. The day I presented the class one of the Headlines in the USA Today was Chief and 3 firefighters arrested for numerous arsons. Somewhere in Tennessee I recall.

Anyway, I will send you some of the photo's in a little while

Dan Hebert