NFPA fire investigation standards help to identify JPRs and fire causes

摘要

Back then there was no such thing as investigation textbooks or online training, and arson seminars were few and far between. There weren't any standards for fire-investigation procedures or information related to the professional qualifications that one must have to undertake arson investigations. And cooperation between the police and fire investigators was as rare as getting a conviction for an arson fire. More often than not, accidental fires were classified as 'undetermined cause' incidents or mislabelled as arson because those that investigated fires lacked scientific knowledge. It's safe to say that a lot was determined by a hunch or gut instinct. Fast forward to today and, by and large, fire departments throughout the United States and Canada believe that investigating fires to determine causes and to institute corrective measures is an essential part of keeping people and property safe. In North America, fire investigation is a vital component of fire-prevention strategies. Most fire agencies have the authority to investigate fire causes and are utilizing science over intuition to identify what and who started fires. This is great news because, simply put, if we don't know what happened, we can't learn from our mistakes and may very well be doomed to repeat them.