General Questions 02 Flashcards
What are Police responsibility at an Arson?
- Conduct the criminal investigation or coronial enquiry
- Undertake responsibility for the protection, collection and recording of forensic evidence.
- The collection and removal of material from a fire crime scene will only be done by Police or other agencies with the authority to remove items.
- The preservation, analysis and subsequent disposition of any such material is the responsibility of Police or other agency with the appropriate authority.
Where it is difficult to preserve the scene
In certain circumstances, such as demolition of specific areas due to safety, it may be difficult to preserve the scene. In cases such as this the investigator must record the scene, prior to demolition, by:
- Sketches
- Photographs
- Plans
- video recordings.
The external examination takes into account for?
- Adjoining premises which often reveal: accelerant containers, attempts at forced entry, broken windows, forced doors
- Nearby alleyways/streets/driveways
- The yards and outbuildings of the fire effected property
- The periphery of the structure itself
- What distance debris was scattered, particularly if drums or cylinders have exploded.
adding.
The surrounding area of the involved premises may also reveal?
- Accelerant containers
- Contents of outbuildings missing
- Property run down
- Business appears to be struggling.
During the external examination the damaged structure itself may reveal
- Jemmy marks or other signs of forced entry on windows or doors
- Window glass broken before the fire was ignited
- Burn patterns above doors and windows and “V” shaped burn patterns on external cladding
In determining the seat of the fire the Specialist Fire Investigator will consider
- Witness’ reports
- When they first noticed the fire, and where they were at the time
- The state of the fire at that time
- Wind direction and speed, and the weather
- The direction of spread
- The colour of the flames and smoke (this may also point to the cause; for example, black smoke may indicate a petroleum product based fire)
- The severity of the damage (because fire and heat usually rise, the area at the lowest level of burning with the most severe damage is often the place where the fire started. Remember that lateral and downward burning can occur with some materials and in the presence of accelerants or draughts)
- The depth of charring (probing may indicate where the fire has been burning or smouldering the longest)
- The presence of ‘starting devices’
- The reports and opinions of other specialists.
Do not assume that all the evidence has been destroyed. Even if the destruction is total, examine the scene carefully to recover all possible evidence of the cause of the fire.
It is at the conclusion of this examination that the Specialist Fire Investigator will be able to determine?
Area of origin
Point of origin
The seat of the fire.
Conferences must be held during the scene examination to assist you with?
IRAPE • Identifying suspects • Reconstructing • Assessing information obtained • Planning further enquiries. • Establishing possible motives
People who could attend conferences?
- O/C CIB
- Crime scene co-ordinator
- Fire Investigation Liaison Officer
- O/C Investigation
- Investigating officers
- Specialist Fire Investigator
- Police photographer
- Fingerprint technician/SOCO
- Other specialists as required.
What is fire and how is it started?
Fire is the result of the process of combustion, a chemical reaction between fuel and oxygen, triggered by heat.
Each of the three elements - fuel, oxygen and heat - must be present in the correct proportions.
When fuel is heated to its ignition temperature what happens?
It releases gases which then react with oxygen molecules in the air - this reaction results in the release of heat and light energy, and various other by-products, which are visible as flames.
