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Firefighting - Chapter 18
Fire Scene Evidence
13
Other
Undergraduate 1
09/26/2012

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Term
Accidental fires
Definition
results from unintentional acts or omissions
Term
Natural causes of fires
Definition
lightning, spontaneous heating, friction
Term
Incendiary fires
Definition
arson fires; deliberatly set

leading cause of fire loss, cause of 1 out of 8 fire fatalities
Term
Prosecutions in an arson fire must prove...
Definition
perpetrator acted willingly (intentionally) and maliciously (with criminal intent)

Only 2% of suspected incendiary fires lead to convictions
Term
Cause of fire factors
Definition
Fuel
Form and source of heat of ignition
Act or omission that brings these two together
Term
Chain of custody
Definition
continuous changes of possession of physical evidence that must be established in court to admit such material as 'evidence'

firefighters can be first link in chain
Term
Has the legal responsibility for determining the cause an origin of the fire
Definition
Fire chief, but he can delegate this authority to fire officers and firefighters at the scene
Term
Observations en route
Definition
time of day
weather and natural hazards
barriers impeding access by firefighters
people leaving the scene
Term
Observations upon arrival
Definition
time of arrival and extent of fire
wind direction and velocity
doors or windows locked or unlocked, and previous forcible entry
location of fire
containers or cans around structure
burglary tools
familiar faces at numerous fires
Term
trailers
Definition
trail of ignitable liquid or combustible (rolled rags, blankets) used to spread fire from one point to another
Term
hearsay
Definition
evidence presented by a witness who did not see or hear the incident but heard about it from someone else
Term
tagging evidence
Definition
should ONLY be carried out by personnel trained in evidence collection and preservation, usually law enforcement
Term
Fire personnel can remain on location as long as needed, but once they leave the scene...
Definition
they must have a warrant to reenter the scene (Michigan vs. Tyler)

If there is evidence, one person should remain on scene until an investigator arrives
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