Scientific Protocols for Fire Investigation

"Scientific Protocols for Fire Investigation" provides comprehensive coverage from historical, developmental, current, and practical perspectives. The author, uniquely qualified with years of experience in both on-site investigations and lab analyses, provides a resource that is unparalleled in depth and focus. The book is distinctive in that it not only discusses the appropriate techniques for fire scene investigation and the chemical analysis of fire debris, but it also focuses on the history of fire investigation and how the profession has evolved. Specific topics of interest include: an interpretation of GC-MS data from ignitable liquid residues; an explanation of fire analysis as it relates to chemistry, physics, and fluid dynamics; a critical assessment of common fire investigation errors with a discussion of how these errors affect real cases; a systematic examination of fire investigation mythology - how the myths originated and how they continue to be promulgated; the presentation of landmark legal cases that affect the protocol of fire investigations; the development of new tools used in investigations; and, professional interaction - how to deal with clients, expert witnesses, lawyers, and the courts. A thorough and accessible book, "Scientific Protocols for Fire Investigation" provides not only the practical information necessary to conduct an effective inquiry but also with insight into the science, history, and theory behind what makes fire investigation a multi-faceted profession.