ORGANIZING AND COMPLETING A FIRE SCENE EXAMINATION WITH MULTIPLE INTERESTED PARTIES

摘要

Fire investigators and other professionals in the fire investigation field have different opinions on the proper ways to process a fire scene with multiple interested parties involved. Many assume that the scene will be processed in a complete and systematic fashion following proper standards. However, this is not always the case. There exists a lack of knowledge or an unwillingness to properly process a fire scene. Issues such as not taking sufficient evidence, not notifying proper interested parties, and not having the proper tools to conduct a thorough investigation are a few examples. This paper will outline a recommended procedure of basic steps to properly conduct a fire scene inspection from the initial scene exam, through notifying the correct interested parties, to properly identifying and collecting all evidence.