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Fire officer principles and practices > Chapter 18 > Flashcards

Chapter 18 Flashcards

1
Q

364

What is one of the best starting points for the effort to prevent future fires?

A

To understand the causes of fires that have occurred in the past.

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2
Q

364

Who is responsible for conducting an investigation as well as completing the NFIRS at a structure fire?

A

The incident commander

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3
Q

365

On smaller routine incidents who conducts the investigation?

A

The fire officer should be able to determine the point of origin and cause, or probable cause for most fires.

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4
Q

365

What is the investigator’s primary responsibility?

A

The investigator’s primary responsibility is to develop and properly document the case and if needed forward it to the prosecutor.

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5
Q

365

When a fatality occurs as a result of fire who should be called?

A

Fire investigator and the coroner/medical examiner.

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6
Q

365
The fire officer must evaluate the circumstances of the situation and know local guidelines and policy when considering how best to conduct an investigation. When is it a good practice to request an investigator?

A

Whenever the facts do not seem to to make sense OR there is a compelling reason to know the exact cause of the fire.

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7
Q

366
When should an investigator who notices a disabled/impaired fire protection system at a fire consider the impairment intentional?

A

If the call reporting the fire came from another source particularly witnessed outside the property.

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8
Q

366

Points of origin located in what areas should arise suspicion of arson?

A

Origins that are in the attic, basement, or closet should receive special consideration.

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9
Q

366

What did the case Michigan v Tyler establish?

A

The fire department are charged with extinguishing the fire and determining the cause and origin.

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10
Q

366

When conducting an investigation for fire cause and origin, the officer must take care to avoid______

A

Unlawful search and seizure prohibited by the fourth amendment. Typically no search warrant is needed to enter a fire scene and collect evidence when the fire department remains on scene to determine the cause of the fire as long as the evidence is in plain view of the investigator.

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11
Q

366

What does “as long as the evidence is in plain view of the investigator” mean?

A

The plain view doctrine allows for potential evidence to be seized during the process of the fire scene, if the fire investigator had a legal right to be there and the evidence is in plain view.

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12
Q

367

What did Michigan v Clifford establish?

A

The court held that, as firefighters remove rubble or search areas where the cause of the fire is likely to be found, an object that comes into view during such a process may be preserved.

BUT once the investigator has determined where the fire started, the scope of the search authority is limited to that area. After the causing the origin have both been determined, a search warrant or consent is required for further search.

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13
Q

367

If reentry is needed after the fire department leaves the scene, what is required?

A

A search warrant or consent

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14
Q

367
According to Michigan v Tyler when is no search warrant needed, when is an administrative search warrant needed, and when is a criminal search warrant needed?

A
  • No warrant when fire stays on scene, reasonable time, to determine cause, and any evidence admissible under plain view doctrine.
  • administrative search warrant needed for entry, purpose is to determine cause of the fire.
  • criminal search warrant needed for reentry, purpose is to gain evidence for prosecution
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15
Q

367

When protecting the scene for an investigator what does that entail?

A

Preventing unauthorized personnel to enter the scene,
create a security perimeter (fire tape), all access to and from area must be controlled, firefighter entry should be limited

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16
Q

367

Evidence

A

Material object as well as documentary oral statements that are admissible as testimony in a court of law.

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17
Q

367

What are the three types of evidence?

A

Demonstrative evidence- tangible items that can be identified by witnesses, such as incendiary devices and fire scene debris

Documentary evidence- evidence in written form, such as reports, records, photographs, sketches, statements

Testimonial evidence- witness speaking under oath

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18
Q

367

Why is evidence so crucial to the successful prosecution of arson cases?

A

To prove that the crime of arson occurred, the fire investigator must rule out all potential accidental and natural causes.

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19
Q

367

Artifacts

A

In the context of fire evidence, could include the remains of the material first ignited, the ignition source, or other items/components that are in some way related to the fire ignition, development, or spread. Could also be an item on which fire patterns are present.

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20
Q

367

When the investigator digs out the fire scene what is the ultimate goal

A

The ultimate goal is to identify the point of origin and the cause of the fire.

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21
Q

367

Fire scene reconstruction

A

The process of re-creating the physical scene before the fire occurred, either physically or theoretically. As debris is removed the contents and structural elements are replaced in their prefire positions as much as possible.

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22
Q

368

What is the worst case scenario as far as the fire investigators concerned?

A

The fire investigator arrives and discovers the fire company has removed all of the fire debris including the fire damage ceilings walls and doors preventing the inspector from being able to evaluate the evidence in the context of the fire.

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23
Q

368
The fire officers the first step in the chain of evidence that is vital to the successful prosecution of arson cases. What is the fire officer’s role in ensuring successful prosecution?

A

The fire officers responsible for protecting the fire scene evidence both from the public and from excessive overhaul and salvage.

The chain of evidence requires that the evidence remain secure and documented, from the fire scene to the courtroom. Most investigators document all physical evidence before collecting it by taking high-resolution photographs.

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24
Q

368

What is the proper methodology for a fire or explosion investigation?

A

First determine and establish the origin(s), then investigate the cause: circumstances, conditions, or agencies brought ignition source, fuel, and oxidant together.

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25
Q

368

Point of origin

A

The exact physical location where the heat source and the fuel come into contact. Usually determined by examining fire damage and fires pattern evidence at the scene.

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26
Q

368

Where does a fire investigator usually start an investigation?

A

In the area where the least amount of damage occurred and follows the pattern back toward the area of greatest fire damage.

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27
Q

368

What information can eyewitness provide to the investigator?

A

Sometimes an eyewitness saw what happened and can explain what occurred. Other times they can identify an area where the fire was first observed. They may also be able to tell you what was in the suspected area of origin before the fire started.

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28
Q

369

Determining the point of origin requires analysis of what four sources ?

A
  1. Fire patterns at the scene
  2. Observations of persons who witnessed the fire or conditions present at the time of the fire.
  3. Analysis of the physics and chemistry of the fire initiation, development and growth as related known or hypothesized fire conditions.
  4. Noting location where electrical arching has caused damage, and circuit involved.
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29
Q

369

electrical arch

A

luminous discharge of electricity from one object to another typically leaving a blackening of the objects in the immediate area.

30
Q

369

How can the point of origin be determined by interpreting fire patterns?

A

As fire burns up wall, it spreads up and out creating V or U shaped pattern. The origin is typically at the base of the V / U pattern.

31
Q

369
V or U patterns are also known as a _______ because it allows the fire officer to trace the fire and smoke patterns back to their origin.

A

movement patterns

32
Q

369

What does a line of demarcation indicate? What type of pattern is this?

A

it indicates the area closest to the point where the greatest amount of heat was produced.

Intensity pattern, shows how much heat was transferred to the surrounding objects.

33
Q

369

Char

A

Blackened remains of carbon based materials after it has been burnt. Closely related to the fire intensity pattern.

34
Q

369

What can Char indicate?

A

the depth of the Char can assist in determining the direction of the fire spread. Generally the deeper the Char, the longer the fire burned and therefore the closer the area of origin. depth of char is only one indicator it can be influenced by a variety of factors that may cause Char remote from the origin to be deeper.

35
Q

369

What does Cause refer to?

A

Cause refers to the particular set of circumstances and factors that were necessary for the fire to have occurred.

36
Q

369

Cause determination can be approached as a three step process:

A
  1. Determining the source of ignition- Generally some device/equipment that was involved in the ignition.
  2. Determine the fuel that was first ignited- Material and forms the material.
  3. Determine the circumstances or human actions that allow the ignition source and fuel to come together, resulting in a fire.
37
Q

370

What has to happen before a fire can be determined to be incendiary or intentional?

A

All accidental causes must be considered and eliminated

38
Q

370

The cause of a fire cannot be established until what has happened?

A

The cause cannot be established until all potential causes have been identified and ruled out.

39
Q

370

If there are two (or more) potential causes remain, how is the cause determined?

A

The cause of the fire is considered Undetermined.

40
Q

370

Source of ignition

A

the energy source that caused the material to ignite. It must have been located at or near the point of origin.

41
Q

370

What three components does a competent ignition source have?

A
  1. Generation-the ignition source must produce sufficient heat energy to raise the fuel to its ignition temperature.
  2. Transmission- Sufficient heat energy must be transmitted from the source to the fuel to raise the fuel to its ignition temperature. heat can be transferred through conduction, convection, or radiation.
  3. Heating- the heat transfer from the source to the fuel must continue long enough for the fuel to be heated to its ignition temperature.
42
Q

370
Type of material :
Form of material:

A

ToM: first ignited refers to the nature of the material itself, ie cotton
FoM: tells how that material is used
ie clothing

43
Q

370

What is meant by sequence of events that brought together source of ignition and the fuel.

A

Could be a human act that was either accidental or deliberate.
Could be negligence, failure to exercise appropriate care to avoid an accident.
Could be a mechanical failure, a poor design or improper assembly.

44
Q

370

Failure Analysis

A

logical systematic examination of an item, component assembly, or structure and its place and function within a system conducted to identify and analyze the probability, causes, and consequences of potential and real failures.

If a fire occurred in a device/system then a failure analysis is done to identify what happened and why. May ID a design error.

45
Q

370

Fire analysis

A

the scientific process of examining a fire occurrence to determine all of the relevant facts, including the origin, cause, and subsequent development of the fire, as well as to identify the responsibility for whatever occurred.

Brings together all available information that can be obtained to examine what happened.

46
Q

370-371

When the fire officer is conducting interviews, why should the officer make every effort to conduct separate interviews?

A

To get the most accurate representation of what each person observed or experienced. When interviews are done in a group it is human nature to change their stories to match what others have said.

47
Q

371

What should the investigator do before interviews are conducted?

A

review all the facts that are already known or believed to to be known before conducting interviews.

48
Q

371
What does the collection of conflicting information mean to the investigator?

When should a witness statement be disregarded?

A

That further investigation is required for the facts to be determined.

Only when you can establish for certainty that the information is incorrect.

49
Q

371

When conducting interview what types of questions should be used?

A

Open ended questions they allow witness to tell what they saw or know where questions that can be answered in yes or no limit the exchange of information.

50
Q

372

A special type of interview used when someone is attempting to conceal information.

A

Interrogation, done by PD or trained investigator beyond the skills of a FO.

51
Q

372

What percentage of vehicle fires are caused by mechanical failure or malfunction?

A

47%

52
Q

372

What is first objective in most vehicle fire investigations to look for ____.

A

signs of arson

53
Q

373

What information should be gathered from the vehicle?

A

The make, model and year, and VIN

54
Q

373

What environmental conditions influence woodland fires?

A

Topography, fuel load, wind and weather. Fires tend to spread vertically through convection (lower to taller) and horizontally through radiation.

55
Q

373

When a fire burn pattern on a side of a hill is investigated where is the origin likely to be?

A

likely to be on the lower part but not necessarily at the lowest point, fire can burn down hill as well just at a slower rate.

56
Q

373

What clues can ash and stumps offer about wildland fires?

A

Ash reside can be examined to indicate the direction of the wind.

When a tree burns and falls, the remaining trunk is usually burned at an angle, creating a point. This point generally appears on the side of the stump opposite the direction of the fire approach

57
Q

374

What are the fire cause classifications (4)?

A
  1. Accidental fire: those fires proven cause does not involve deliberate human act.
  2. Natural fire: fires caused by lighting, earthquakes, wind and other natural forces, w/o human intervention.
  3. Incendiary fire: fire that is deliberately ignited under circumstances in which the person knows that the fire should not be ignited.
  4. Undetermined fire cause: Any fire in which the cause cant be proven is classified as undetermined. May still be under investigation.
58
Q

374

What is the most frequent ignition cause in residential fires? What is the 2nd?, 3rd?

A

1st: unattended cooking
2nd: smoking materials
3rd: heating materials

59
Q

374

Pyrolysis

A

Chemical decomposition in which wood (or any organic product) is continually subject to moderate heat below its normal ignition temperature but over a long period of time breaking the wood down into carbon.

This process lowers the ignition temperature and it can auto ignite once heated.

60
Q

374

Where should pyrolysis be suspected?

A

when the area of origin includes stream pipes, light ballast, flue pipes in particular zero clearance flues , which have caused an increase in this type of ignition.

61
Q

374

What is the most common electrical fire scenario?

A

Misuse by the occupant, such as overloading electrical circuits, lightweight extension cords for major appliances etc.

62
Q

374

Where do electrical devices/appliances that start fires usually produce evidence of electrical damage?

A

On the power supply cord relatively close to the device. the wire insulation near the appliance often melts because the heat produced by the burning appliance.

63
Q

375

What is the difference between an arson fire and an incendiary fire?

A

Arson is the crime of maliciously and intentionally/recklessly starting a fire or explosion.

An incendiary fire is started by someone who knows it shouldn’t be started but the act is not necessary malicious or reckless (decided by grand jury).

64
Q

375

What are the five indicators that an incident may be incendiary (after other causes are eliminated)? (5)

A
  1. disabled built-in fire protection
  2. delayed notification or difficultly in getting to the fire
  3. Accelerants and trailers
  4. Multiple points of origin
  5. Tampered or altered equipment
65
Q

375

Accelerants

A

agents used to initiate a fire or increase the rate of fire growth.

66
Q

375

Trailers

A

Materials used to spread a fire from one area of a structure to another causing a fire to grow more quickly.

67
Q

377

What are two causes of multiple origins that are not arson?

A

electrical surges that start fires in separate locations

Falling burning material from the ceiling can start a secondary V or U

68
Q

377

What are the six basic motives for arson?

A 
profit
crime concealment
excitement 
spite/revenge
extremism
vandalism
69
Q

377

What is most often the reason for arson?

A

to collect insurance money

70
Q

378

What does a good NFIRS report accomplish?

A

A narrative that accurately and completely describes what the fire officer observed and what the fire company did.

Fire officer principles and practices (15 decks)

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