Once a fire has been brought under control and all of the occupants are safe, attention turns to finding out why it happened. Fire cause analysis New York is important for many reasons. One is to find ways of preventing other fires from starting the same way. Another is to identify whether it was an accident or arson. If it was set deliberately, then the culprit must be stopped to keep him (or her) from starting other fires and to bring them to justice. This becomes even more important if there was loss of human life involved.
Analyzing the causes of fires is a multidisciplinary task, involving scientists (in the field and in the laboratory), engineers, and even accountants. It's a very messy business, because everything at the scene is covered in grimy smoke residue and stinks to high heavens. It's even worse if there are human or animal remains to contend with. In addition to an enquiring mind, a forensic fire investigator needs nerves of steel, a strong stomach and a determination to find the truth.
Civil cases are even more complicated because they involve how fires spread, how well alarms and protective equipment like sprinklers performed and identifying who is ultimately liable for the incident. When law enforcement agencies arrive on the scene, their job is to find out if a crime was committed. If human involvement is identified, the question is whether it was intentional and premeditated or if it was just an accident.
Not all intentionally-started conflagrations have criminal intent behind them. If someone is burning trash in their back yard and it gets out of hand, they may be liable but the crime is not necessarily arson. They may have been negligent in not having the necessary extinguishing equipment to hand. If, however, someone gets killed by smoke inhalation or burns, then they may be subject to a manslaughter charge.
There is more than justice at stake in fire investigations, although that is certainly very important. Eventually, patterns begin to emerge that can lead to the design of better safety equipment or different methods of building structures. Equipment can range from sprinklers to alarm systems to doors and windows that can contain the spread of a conflagration.
Good investigation can help make sure an innocent person is not sent down for arson. Arson investigators look for motive, means and opportunity. One person may look guilty on superficial investigation but detailed examination of the evidence can rule them out. This involves the work of field scientists and engineers as well as people back at the lab who examine the evidence.
Identifying precisely where the incident started is a key step in getting to the bottom of an investigation. Sometimes it's obvious, if an electrical appliance looks charred or a pile of combustible material is found at the heart of the site. Fires behave differently and leave characteristic signs. Investigators tend to look for the most seriously burned areas or places where the blaze burned the hottest.
Another critical question is whether an accelerant has been used. This is a signal that the blaze was set deliberately. In arson investigations, even the tiniest details can matter because arsonists often have characteristic signatures in terms of accelerants they use and other features of the inferno. Fire cause investigation can be a very rewarding and interesting career.
Analyzing the causes of fires is a multidisciplinary task, involving scientists (in the field and in the laboratory), engineers, and even accountants. It's a very messy business, because everything at the scene is covered in grimy smoke residue and stinks to high heavens. It's even worse if there are human or animal remains to contend with. In addition to an enquiring mind, a forensic fire investigator needs nerves of steel, a strong stomach and a determination to find the truth.
Civil cases are even more complicated because they involve how fires spread, how well alarms and protective equipment like sprinklers performed and identifying who is ultimately liable for the incident. When law enforcement agencies arrive on the scene, their job is to find out if a crime was committed. If human involvement is identified, the question is whether it was intentional and premeditated or if it was just an accident.
Not all intentionally-started conflagrations have criminal intent behind them. If someone is burning trash in their back yard and it gets out of hand, they may be liable but the crime is not necessarily arson. They may have been negligent in not having the necessary extinguishing equipment to hand. If, however, someone gets killed by smoke inhalation or burns, then they may be subject to a manslaughter charge.
There is more than justice at stake in fire investigations, although that is certainly very important. Eventually, patterns begin to emerge that can lead to the design of better safety equipment or different methods of building structures. Equipment can range from sprinklers to alarm systems to doors and windows that can contain the spread of a conflagration.
Good investigation can help make sure an innocent person is not sent down for arson. Arson investigators look for motive, means and opportunity. One person may look guilty on superficial investigation but detailed examination of the evidence can rule them out. This involves the work of field scientists and engineers as well as people back at the lab who examine the evidence.
Identifying precisely where the incident started is a key step in getting to the bottom of an investigation. Sometimes it's obvious, if an electrical appliance looks charred or a pile of combustible material is found at the heart of the site. Fires behave differently and leave characteristic signs. Investigators tend to look for the most seriously burned areas or places where the blaze burned the hottest.
Another critical question is whether an accelerant has been used. This is a signal that the blaze was set deliberately. In arson investigations, even the tiniest details can matter because arsonists often have characteristic signatures in terms of accelerants they use and other features of the inferno. Fire cause investigation can be a very rewarding and interesting career.
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