Systematic approach to fire investigation - Research Paper Example

Accordingly, fire is deemed as ‘a good servant, but a bad/brutal master.’ This is informed by the great importance it plays under various contexts such as cooking, heating and manufacturing amongst others. However as Decker and Ottley (2009) allude, in cases where fire becomes uncontrollable, the eventual result is unfortunately stress, injury and death of people, as well as the destruction of properties. This not only necessitates preventative measures, but also reconstructive procedures, in the unfortunate case scenarios where fire becomes destructive.

Hence, fire investigation has a critical role in the society today because it contributes to fire control. A scientific field, fire investigation pertains to the investigative analysis of fire-related incidents and events, often referred to as ‘origin and cause (fire) investigation (Decker & Ottley, 2009). This is a procedure that is usually carried out after firefighters successfully extinguish a fire. As Chandler (2009) portrays, Investigations are launched with the aim of determining both the cause and origin of fire or explosions that cause death and destruction.

Towards effectively conducting such investigations, there is need for utility of a systematic approach that is based on expert knowledge of the basics of fire science. Just like its counterpart in criminal investigations, fire investigation often involves a multi-disciplinary approach towards conclusively tackling cases under investigation. In contexts portrayed by law enforcement investigations, personnel required include the fire-scene investigator, as well as a laboratory analyst. While being vital in systematically analyzing the investigative crime/ fire scene, the former requires the crucial input of the analyst, towards further gaining answers as to the causal factors and origin of such fires.

The analyst is critical in terms of aiding investigations through