| 
Phase II Fire Origin and Cause
Length of Seminar:
3 Days
Instructor: Steve Chasteen
Course Overview:
THE ULTIMATE OUTCOME OF ALL CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS IS A
SUCCESSFUL PROSECUTION. THE INTENT OF THIS COURSE IS TO
PROVIDE TRAINING IN FIRE INVESTIGATION TO HELP THE INVESTIGATOR
CONDUCT A SYSTEMATIC, THOROUGH, LEGAL, AND TECHNICALLY ACCURATE
FIRE SCENE INVESTIGATION. THIS COURSE WILL INCREASE THE
INVESTIGATOR’S PROFICIENCY IN DETERMINING, ORIGIN
AND CAUSES IN BOTH ACCIDENTAL AND ARSON OF FIRES.
Legal: The
legal rights of the fire fighters and investigators at the
fire scene are governed by the fourth and fourteenth amendments.
This section covers case law regarding these amendments,
Supreme Court rulings, plain view evidence, consent, warrants,
some federal law, evidence, and mail fraud. A review of
the new case laws involvement Daubert and Destruction of
evidence will be discussed.
Investigative Techniques:
A discussion on several ways the investigators can obtain
information and save many hours of work. This will include
Insurance companies as a resource, Public Records for information,
Financial Analysis for motive, canine program, cells phones
for location, and possibility of sources for Satellite Images
to see the suspect committing the crime. Computers and packaging
the case for successful prosecution will be covered.
Chemistry & Dynamics
Of Fire: Fire is an exothermic chemical reaction
which occurs at a rate so fast it generates detectable heat
and light. This section is designed to help the investigator
understand simple fire chemistry, types of hydrocarbons,
carbohydrates, and plastic. We will examine how each burns
and the requirements for each to ignite.
Fire is a physical phenomenon, as well as
a chemical reaction. This section will examine the physical
characteristics of fire. Content will cover the fire triangle,
fire tetrahedron, flammable principles, fuels, flame spread,
fire behavior, heat transfer, types of flames, phases of
fire, flashover, smoke explosions (backdraft), high temperature
fires and vapor density effect on air ratio. Compare and
contrast the methods of heat transfer.
Documentation Of
The Fire Scene: Complete and accurate documentation
of the fire scene is the single most important factor of
fire investigation. Hundreds of hours can be spent compiling
facts, figures, interviews, and related information to prove
arson. This effort is futile if not substantiated by accurate
documentation and uncontaminated evidence. Investigators
must remember all effort is for courtroom presentation.
This section examines the investigators work products (notes/sketches),
final written report, photography, diagrams, and evidence
collection.
Indicators and Fire
Patterns Analysis: Investigator utilizes indicators
and fire patterns to reconstruct the path of the fire. The
indicators are not precise or fool proof. No single indicator
should be used to establish arson or other fire cause. All
of the circumstances must be considered. This section will
examine fire myths, effects of construction on fire patterns,
and burn/char patterns. This section will be supplemented
with a video and photographs.
Prosecutor Relations/Trial
Preparation: Arson cases can be hard to prosecute.
In this section we will discuss the necessary relationship
between the prosecutor and the investigator. Identify ways
to make the prosecutor more interested in your cases.
Courtroom Demeanor:
Discuss proper techniques used by an expert witness to present
evidence in a civil or criminal trial. These techniques
include proper attire, demeanor, written, verbal and non-verbal
communication.
|
