Chapter 11
1. Pyrolysis is quite important in the role of combustion of solid fuels because it is the actual act and is necessary in order for the item to ignite. It is the conversion of a solid to a gas form by using high heat. Without it, the fuel being heated appropriately, the gases won’t break apart and form into vapors that can then combust.
2. The careful role of processing a fire scene plays a vital role in an arson or fire investigation. Again accurate and thorough criminal investigations of a crime scene are vital to be the eyes and ears of the crime to prove the case to a judge, state’s attorney, and jury. First and foremost it needs to be determined if a fire was started intentionally. From my understanding it seems that a fire investigation starts off with the opinion that the fire was started on purpose. There are 4 main reasons for arson; economic (for someone to make money off insurance), revenge, intimidation, and extortion.
3. The aids available to the fire investigator to select evidence to send to the lab are sniffers, most often arson dogs. Patterns help determine where a fire was started so once that is located the debris should be sent to the lab to check for any accelerants.
4. Evidence collected at a fire scene is processed in a forensic lab by first soaking the debris in water. It is processed to isolate and concentrate the ignitable liquids in one of 4 ways: heated headspace, steam distillation, carbon strip adsorption, and solvent wash. The method of choice is gas chromatography because it can separate numerous components that can then be compared to known sources.
5. The main objectives to a fire investigation are to determine the cause of the fire and its origin.
Fill in the Blank
1. Ignited
2. B. flash point
3. Pyrolysis
4. Fire point?
5. Gas chromatography/mass spectromter GC/MS
2. The careful role of processing a fire scene plays a vital role in an arson or fire investigation. Again accurate and thorough criminal investigations of a crime scene are vital to be the eyes and ears of the crime to prove the case to a judge, state’s attorney, and jury. First and foremost it needs to be determined if a fire was started intentionally. From my understanding it seems that a fire investigation starts off with the opinion that the fire was started on purpose. There are 4 main reasons for arson; economic (for someone to make money off insurance), revenge, intimidation, and extortion.
3. The aids available to the fire investigator to select evidence to send to the lab are sniffers, most often arson dogs. Patterns help determine where a fire was started so once that is located the debris should be sent to the lab to check for any accelerants.
4. Evidence collected at a fire scene is processed in a forensic lab by first soaking the debris in water. It is processed to isolate and concentrate the ignitable liquids in one of 4 ways: heated headspace, steam distillation, carbon strip adsorption, and solvent wash. The method of choice is gas chromatography because it can separate numerous components that can then be compared to known sources.
5. The main objectives to a fire investigation are to determine the cause of the fire and its origin.
Fill in the Blank
1. Ignited
2. B. flash point
3. Pyrolysis
4. Fire point?
5. Gas chromatography/mass spectromter GC/MS