- Author
-
U.S. Department of Justice
- Title
- Fire and Arson Scene Evidence: A Guide for Public Safety Personnel.
- Coporate
- Department of Justice, Washington, DC
- Report
-
NCJ 181584
June 2000
75 p.
- Distribution
- For more information contact: Office of Justice Programs. Website: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov. National Institute of Justice. Website: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij
- Keywords
-
arson
|
fire investigations
|
fire safety
|
training
- Identifiers
- Technical Working Group on Fire/Arson Scene Investigation (TWGFASI); Technical Working Group on Fires and Explosions (TWGFEX); National Institute of Justice (NIJ); National Center for Forensic Science (NCFS); establishing the role of first responders; evaluating the scene; documenting the scene; processing evidence at the scene; completing the scene investigation
- Abstract
- It is the intention of this Guide to acquaint a broad spectrum of public safety personnel with the fire investigation process, so they may understand their role in this important task and help identify, locate, and preserve evidence in its varied forms, to either assist a specialist investigator when one is needed or to adequately document and collect evidence when no assistance is needed or available. This Guide focuses on the documentation and collection of physical evidence at fire/arson scenes. Other issues of investigation--such as insurance inquiries, background information, fire deaths, the interpretation of fire dynamics and physical evidence, and case analysis and profiling--are not addressed in this document. Not every portion of this document may be applicable to all fires. It is at the discretion of responding personnel (depending on their responsibilities, as well as the purpose and scope of their duties) to apply the procedures recommended in this Guide to a particular incident. Some of the procedures described in this Guide may not be performed in the sequence described or may be performed simultaneously.