Fire Investigation Handbook

4 4 National Bureau of Standard Library, E-01 A min. Bldg. OCT 2 2 1980 FIRE INVESTIGATION HANDBOOK Francis L. Brannigan, Editor University of Maryland Fire & Rescue Institute Adjunct Staff College Park, Maryland 20742 Richard G. Bright and Nora H. Jason, Editors Center for Fire Research National Engineering Laboratory National Bureau of Standards Washington, DC 20234 Partially supported by: National Fire Academy U S Fire Administration Federal Emergency Management Agency Washington. DC 20472 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, Philip M. Klutznick, Secretary Luther H. Hodges, Jr., Deputy Secretary Jordan J. Baruch, Assistant Secretary for Productivity, Technology and Innovation NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS, Ernest Ambler, Director Issued August 1980 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 80-600095 National Bureau of Standards Handbook 134 Nat. Bur. Stand.(U.S.).Handb. 134, 197 pages(Aug. 1980) CODEN NBSHAP U S GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFEICE WASHINGTON. 1980 Eor Sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402 Abstract The Handbook is a reference tool designed to be used by the beginning or by the experienced fire investigator. How each person uses this book will depend upon a particular need and level of experience. The broad areas covered are: Fire Ground Procedures; Post-Fire Interviews; The Building and Its Makeup; Ignition Sources; the Chemistry and Physics of Fire and Sources of Information. The appendixes have sections on how to organize an arson task force; the expert witness; independent testing 1aboratories, and selective bib1iography. Key words: Accelerants; arson; building fires; electrical fires; explosions; fire investigators; hydrocarbons; photography Table of Contents Page PREFACE. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. vi i INTRODUCTION . viii 1 . FIRE GROUND PROCEDURES 1.1 Determining the Origin and Cause . 1 1.2 Detection of Flydrocarbon Accelerants. 12 1.3 Tools and Equipment. 14 1.4 Evidence - Gathering, Marking and Safeguarding . 22 1.5 Fire Investigation Photography . 27 1.6 Fire Investigation Recordkeeping .. 42 1.7 Role of the Firefighter. 49 2. POST-FIRE INTERVIEWS 2.1 Developing Information from Eye-Witnesses . 52 2.2 Legal Problems .. 56 3. THE BUILDING AND ITS MAKEUP 3.1 Building Construction. 59 3.2 Materials . 75 3.3 Utility Systems. 81 4. IGNITION SOURCES 4.1 Flaming Ignition. 88 4.2 Smoldering Combustion . 91 4.3 Spontaneous Ignitions . 94 4.4 Electricity as an Ignition Source. 99 4.5 Case Study of an Electrical Fire. 125 4.6 Explosions. 134 N Table of Contents continued Page 5. CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS OF FIRE 5.1 Friendly and Unfriendly Fires . 146 5.2 Fuel, Oxygen, Ignition Source . 146 5.3 Chemistry of Fire. 146 5.4 Heat Transfer in Fires. 155 5.5 Fire Development. 159 6. SOURCES OF INFORMATION 6.1 Federal Organizations . 164 6.2 Private Organizations . 165 APPENDICES A. Municipal Task Forces. 167 B. The Investigator, as an Expert Witness for the Prosecution 175 C. Independent Testing Laboratories . 179 D. Books of Interest. 180 E. List of Contributors. 182 INDEX 184 Preface The Fire Investigation Handbook is a tool to be used by the investigator with a lot of experience or the investigator who is new to the profession. How each investigator uses this Handbook will depend upon their individual needs and background. There are several textbooks on fire investigation (see appendix D). This Handbook is not intended to replace these books. Nor is the Handbook a legal reference manual. The Handbook contains ready-reference information and highlights subjects essential to a comprehensive fire investigation. As you, the reader and user, become more familiar with the Handbook, we would like to know what you think about the book. Are there any areas of interest that should be discussed more fully? Are there any areas that may be shortened? Are there any other areas that should be added? The editors are interested in incorporating the most important information in the Handbook. The use of the Handbook in the field will be a test of its contents and we look forward to receiving your comments. Please send them to: Ms. Nora H. Jason National Bureau of Standards Bldg. 224, Room B250 Washington, D.C. 20234 vi Acknowledgements We would like to thank the Review Committee for the time and effort they have devoted to making this Handbook a valuable contribution to the fire investigation field. The members were: William C. Alletto (Chicago Fire Department) Ward W. Caddington (Bureau of Fire Suppression, Prince George's County, MD) Weldon C. Carmichael (International Association of Arson Investigators, Inc.) Robert E. Carter (National Fire Protection Association, Boston) Myron Franks, Frank Good and Courtney Diuren (Fire Marshal Division, Department of State Police, Lansing, MI) Albert W. Gleason (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Washington, DC) Jack K. Hickam (Fire Department, Seattle, WA) Robert E. Jones (IPA, U.S. Fire Administration, Washington, DC) Edward W. Krawiec (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington, DC) John W. Lynch (U.S. Fire Administration, Washington, DC) Joseph W. McGinnis (FBI, Washington, DC) Dennis McLaughlin and Carvel Harding (Montgomery County Department of Fire and Rescue, Rockville, MD) George Molloy (Chief Fire Marshal, New York, NY) Charles J. Radford (Arson Task Force, City and County of San Francisco) Steven E. Swab (L.A. Reid Associates, Inc., Bethesda, MD) H. Ray Vliet (Chief, Division of Fire, Edison, NJ) The editors want to thank the secretarial staff for their contributions to this Handbook: Evelyn Granger, Betty Oravec, Pamela Ward, Linda Vislosky and other people who may have typed this before the camera-ready copy. Special thanks should go to Regina Burgess and Kathy Whisner for their assistance in searching out the missing year in a reference, filling in the gaps on a table, etc. VI 1 Introduction In the Indian folk tale, the Blind Men and the Elephant, each man perceived the elephant differently. Fire investigation, also, is perceived differently by different investigators. To some, it is limited to determining whether a fire was criminally caused and, if so, apprehending and charging the perpetrator. Others broaden their interest somewhat to determining the specific cause of any fire. The editors have taken an even broader view. Fire investigation should not be limited to solely determining the cause of the fire. The fire investigation should include the examination of all the circumstances of the growth and extension of the fire. In short, the cause of a fire is one matter; the cause of a conflagration can be quite another, and may be more important. There is great difficulty in writing a handbook on fire investigation that takes this broader view on the existing state of the art; the entire field of fire technology could be discussed. Flard choices were made as to what was included and what was excluded. There are many laws intended to protect the citizenry from the effects of fire. The enforcing of these laws is usually assigned to the "fire prevention" arm of the fire department. The word itself is misleading, because many of the laws assume that a fire will occur and they are designed to deal with the consequences of a fire. There can be no clear line of separation between "fire investigation" and "fire prevention". Much of what the investigator needs to know about the job is sometimes loosely called "fire prevention" or "fire science theory". There is no limit to what the fire investigator should know, but there are practical limits as to what one person can know. It is most important that the investigator understand the limits of his/her knowledge and the importance of getting expert advice when necessary. Flandbooks, including this one, present recommended procedures, laboratory data and test data. The observations and interpretative skills of the authors and editors also have been incorporated into the text. In turn, the text has been reviewed by a representative peer group. This technique has provided rich resource material from which v i i i the editors and contributors could draw upon for this edition. No one procedure is offered as "the only way" or "the best way" of performing it. The investigation of automobile fires does not involve the same type of information and techniques that one needs in investigating structural fires. The National Automobile Theft Bureau is maintained by over 400 insurance companies writing fire and theft insurance. It has a staff of specialists who can assist in automobile fire investigations, as well as work with law enforcement agencies. To assist the fire investigator, the Bureau published a "Manual for the Investigation of Automobile Fires". The Manual provides the fire investigator with a broad outline to be followed throughout the entire investigation. To avoid duplication of effort, this Handbook will not discuss automobile fires. 1. Fire Ground Procedures 1.1 DETERMINING THE ORIGIN AND CAUSE 1.1.1 Introduction The fire has been extinguished and the call has gone out for the fire investigator. Pending the investigator's arrival, the fire scene perimeters should be determined and secured against unauthorized entry. Generally, a fire officer or police officer can control the scene until the investigator arrives and, based on recent court decisions, the control of the scene should be continuous from suppression through the investigation. The officer controlling the scene also should be aware of the specific laws in the jurisdiction with regard to the property owner and his/her access to the premises. In all cases, it may be necessary to post a guard at the scene with instructions to permit entrance only to persons with authorization. When the investigator arrives, or perhaps even before, a decision should be made as to the safety of the structure remaining. Free¬ standing brick walls may have to be pulled down and holes in floors marked or barricaded.

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