General Questions 04 Flashcards
What are the 4 main building materials and their weaknesses?
- Timber - normally burn and char but in most instances will, if members are thick enough, maintain sufficient integrity.
- Steel - Expand, lose strength and the unprotected will collapse.
- Concrete - Can break away at the surface (spalling), and steel reinforcing may be exposed to sufficient heat to lose its tensile strength.
- Masonry - Weaken the mortar, expansion of the
wall, collapse of supporting floors or roof frames.
The best rule to employ in relation to a fire scene is?
If it looks dangerous it probably is so - do not enter!
A Specialist Fire Investigator should be present at all fire scenes Police are required to attend. You may also need the assistance of one or more of these?
- Fire investigation liaison officer
- ESR scientist
- Rural fire investigator
- Photographer
- Fingerprint technician
- Explosives inspector
- Electrical inspect or
- Building inspector
- Insurance assessor
- Accountant
- Forensic mapper/original floor plans
- Pathologist
- Vehicle inspector
- Civil aviation inspector
- Mines inspector
- Forestry expert
- Agricultural expert
- Marine surveyor
- Heating engineer
- Meteorologist.
Police guarding the scene must?
- Avoid interfering with the scene
- Exclude and control on-lookers, property owners
- Preserve evidence
- Preventing looting
- Preventing further fire or damage
- Be vigilant and watch for suspects
- Locate witnesses among onlookers and passers-by
- Report all matters of significance to the OC investigation or OC scene coordinator.
When you have personnel at the scene you should?
- Appoint an exhibits officer
- Appoint a crime scene coordinator (if required)
- Advised the FILO
- Appoint a scribe
- Appoint scene examiner
Steps for exhbits
- Photograph in situ, label the exhibits, and preserve them in containers.
- Use approved arson kits if these are available, if not, use any suitable containers such as unused 4L paint tins.
- Take control samples of:
- Charred timber and ashes or debris from the seat of the fire for examination and comparison with samples from other points.
- Any accelerants found near the scene
- Soil from the surrounding area.
What information should you obtain about an insurance company of a fire effected property?
- The assessor’s report
- Details of the policies on the property and its contents
- Whether the property was over or under-insured
- Any recent increases in cover for the property or its contents
- Other claims.
What are evidence of accelerants?
- Containers
- Traces in debris
- Smell
- Unusually rapid spread or intensity of fire
- Uneven burning
- Burning under or behind boards where the liquid has run through the cracks
- Multiple seats of fire
Complete enquiries to establis the suspects (MMOCC)
M - Motive M - Mens Rea O - Opportunity C - Connection with the scene and crime C - Character, mental background, history, movements and behaviour
Preliminary internal examination
The preliminar internal examination should involve a slow walk through the premises, from the area of least damage to that of most damage, taking note of indicators such as:
low stock levels in commercial premises
building areas in need of repair
signs of hardship (empty flats, shops to let, etc.)
missing family photographs, furniture and personal items
lack of clothing in wardrobes and drawers
rifled premises
position of clothes if not in wardrobe or drawer
open filing cabinets or missing files
forced entry into an empty till
presence of accelerant containers or trails
separate unrelated seats of fire
owner/occupier attitude during walk through (if access is permitted)
unusual odours
burn patterns.
Detailed external examination
In this examination they will observe, note and take into account a number of observations including:
- smoke deposits and burn patterns
- spalling (the cracking or chipping of concrete as a result of being heated and cooled)
- damage to wall studs
- damage to roofing timbers
- damage to windows sills and door edges
- soot deposits on window glass and craze
- floor areas burned through
- skirting board damage
- elimination of false low burns
- removal of fire debris, and
- under floor inspection.
