Fire Investigation - Coursework Example

Fire Investigation Name Instructor’s Name Course Name and Code Date Introduction The widespread prevalence of smoking as well as the general opinion as to its propensity to cause fires in various situations has led in it being noted as being the probable fire cause in situations where it is inappropriate. Indeed, different people have had the wrong perception that whenever fires occur across the world, then the most probable cause of such fires is smoking. However, such assumptions are wrong since there are other causes of fire other than smoking. Fire fighting is one of the very important jobs in the world but fire prevention is even more vital. This is because it is not prudent to fight a fire, which could have initially been prevented in the first place. It is sad that most people in the world only think about the fire protection and fighting tools while they neglect the importance of them practicing fire preventive measures or strategies aimed at preventing the real fire accident from occurring in the first place. It will therefore be prudent for people to first learn how such fires should be prevented in the first place before they learn how they can put out one. In order to get to the bottom cause of the fire problem, one must be knowledgeable regarding the common causes of the fire accidents so that they can do everything that is possible to avoid the destructive effects of such factors (Ward, 2005). Why smoking is the most probable cause of fire Most incidences have actually pointed out the fact that smoking is the most probable cause of fires. For instance, according to The Wichita Eagle, it was ascertained that the most probable cause of fire which killed 4 people was careless smoking. It was revealed by investigators that the November 26th fire, which led to the death of 4 people at a Wichita home, was caused by either discarded smoking materials or careless smoking. According to the officials, all the other causes of fire were eliminated to their satisfaction. The fact that some of the occupants had been smoking during the night was tight evidence that indeed, smoking was the cause of the tragedy. According to an article by the New York Times authored by Sewell Chan titled “Fire Department Disciplines 3 Officers; Smoking is Cited as Fire’s Cause”. It was ascertained that there was circumstantial evidence found by the investigators that indicated that smoking by the construction workers was the most probable cause of fire that occurred in the former “Deutsche Bank Building” .In addition to that, it was revealed that throughout the building, smoking was quite engaged especially on the 17th floor where fire initially originated. The officials rules out any electrical malfunction of connections or other powered devices (Potter, 2013). According to an article titled “Fire Marshal: Careless Smoker Probable Cause of Deadly Blaze”, written by Juan Lozano, investigators strongly believed that they knew the cause of the fast spreading apartment fire which killed 5 people who included 4 members of one family. According to the investigators, it was ascertained that the fire probably started when David Proffit, a 50-year-old man fell asleep in the recliner while smoking cigarettes. Sadie, the wife was incapable of putting out the flames, which had spread quickly to other apartments (Lozano, 2000). Another article titled “Smoking Material Probable Cause in Le Mars House Fire” written by Earl Ehorlyk, it was revealed that the probable cause of fire that occurred in Le Mars was due to discarded smoking materials that were prevalent in the garage’s trash (Ehorlyk, 2012). Why smoking is regarded as being the major cause of fire Smoking has been regarded, as being one of the most common fire causes and outbreaks in not only homes but even in public places and offices as well. This is attributed to the fact that some of the discarded cigarette butts that are not extinguished can easily re-ignite and therefore resulting in fire accidents that are very disastrous. Most of the smokers are unaware of the fact that despite endangering their lives through the habit of smoking, they also worsening the situation through their activities which can result in fire tragedies that eventually lead to injuries, damages to properties and worse still to deaths. Smokers should therefore ensure that they avoid smoking either in bed or before sleeping since they can fall asleep thus making the sheets to turn into instant flames. Smokers should therefore ensure that they douse their cigarettes in water before they dispose them so as they cannot re-ignite (Ainslie, 1871). Based on the above examples or case studies, it can be truly ascertained that despite the fact that there are other major causes of fire across the world, smoking of cigarettes was the major cause of such fires. Numerous case studies regarding the occurrence of fires in different parts of the world indeed pointed to the fact that smoking of cigarettes was indeed the major cause of such fires. However, precaution should not be only taken by the smokers but precaution should be taken by all people since there are other probable causes of fire. Precaution regarding prevention of fires should therefore not be the responsibility of the smokers alone but rather, it should be a collective responsibility of all people. Fire prevention should therefore be everyone’s job in order to avoid the destructions related to occurrence of such fires (National Fire Protection Association, 2008). According to an article by The Sydney Morning Herald dated 24th of July 1937 and titled “Secret Smoking: Probable Cause of Fire. Schoolboys’ Prank” it was thought by police that the smoking of cigarettes was the most probable cause of fire that led to the severe destruction of North Newton Public School located on Carillon Avenue on a Thursday night. It was ascertained that some of the boys in the school were actually in the habit of locking themselves near the stairway as they smoked the cigars and therefore this was the most probable cause of the fire (US Fire Administration, 2007). Other causes of fires Despite the fact that there has been a widespread notion that smoking is the most probable causes of fires in most situations, there are also other causes of fires in the world. For instance, Kitchen Cooking has also been ascertained to be another cause of fires since this is the place where the fire normally starts. This is because cooking usually involves the use of flammable materials like for instance gas and oil and flames as well. It is therefore necessary to exercise extreme caution when whenever people are in the kitchen (Blaich, 2008). Smoking alone cannot be ascertained as being the only cause of fire since some other hazardous materials like for instance paints, gases, liquids and some chemicals can cause fires. Apart from that, most scented candles are also known to cause fires around the house since they are used as decorative elements without ascertaining the risk that they pose to the environment. It is therefore imperative for people to be careful especially when lighting up such candles. Such candles should therefore never be placed near windows, air vents, or drafts. Candles should be kept out of reach of children and children should not be allowed to play with matches, candles, lighters or anything, which can start a fire. Unlike cigarettes, candles can actually become a beautiful addition to people’s homes but their improper use can lead to more harm than use to one’s house (Bourrinet, 1992). Electrical Fires Smoking alone cannot be the cause of fires in the world since unsafe electrical conditions can also result in electrical fires. Such conditions include overloaded sockets, damaged electrical conductors, blown fuses, faulty wirings, overloaded extension cords, combustible materials, loose electrical connections and malfunctioning of the electrical devices. In order to avoid or prevent such electrical fires, people should therefore use only high quality electrical appliances. Appliances should be regularly checked in order to see if any of the electrical cords or parts is damaged. Extension cords or electrical sockets should never be overloaded and electrical heating equipment should be used away from the combustibles. It is also important to note that the electrical fires can only be put off using a carbon-dioxide fire extinguisher. Wrong types of fire extinguishers can lead to disastrous consequences and therefore water extinguishers should never be used in extinguishing electrical fires since they can lead to electrocution (Leonard, 2010). Heating Devices Smoking should not be assumed the only causes of fires that occur in different places of the world since careless use of some heating devices like for instance space heaters, water heaters, hair iron, and cloth iron among others can also lead to fire outbreaks. It is always advisable that whenever people are using any kind of electrical appliance that has a heating element; they should never leave them to become unattended. People should also never forget to turn off such appliances or unplug them after using them. In addition to that electrical appliances should never be placed near sources of heat like the fireplace, stove and furnace (Moore, 1894). Accumulation of Rubbish Accumulation of rubbish either in the basement, the attic or even in the garage is a fire waiting to happen. It is therefore advisable that people should dispose things that they are sure they will not need them anymore in order to prevent such fire risks. Alternatively, people should also brink any junk to the recycling centres near their places to decrease the fire risks and protect the environment (Cote, et al, 1988). Regardless of the cause of fire, all people should comprehend the context through which such fires investigation processes are carried out and also identify fire suppression tactics that may impact on preservation of evidence on the fire scene. This is due to the reason that some of the extinguishing agents have the ability of distorting forensic analysis, which may eventually make it difficult to ascertain the main causes of fire at various places (Adams, 1994). All in all, in the eventuality of such fires, then it is prudent that people involved in the rescue operations ensure that the fire is confined so that it does not spread to other places around the original source (Schroll, 2002). This is because fire is such fire regardless of its origin and therefore efforts should be made to ensure that it is contained as first as possible in order to prevent more destruction. As a result, it is always important for all people to become conversant with fire fighting tactics like for instance the use of water, the weight and speed response, foams which include CAFS, the use of dry agents and also chemical additives, isolation of fires, tactical ventilation, removal or cutting away among others. The use of such fire fighting tactics will actually reduce the losses that are attributed to fires like loss of property and human life (Furness, et al, 2007). Conclusion It should be well understood by all and sundry that smoking is not the only cause of fires in the world. People should therefore become familiar with the most common causes of fire so that they can avoid them. Such knowledge should be shared by friends, family and other people so that they can also practice the same thing. Once people have made it a habit of practising fire safety precautions, the next option will be to familiarize themselves with fire protection knowledge. People should also know the various types of fire extinguishers so that they can easily put off any kind of fire regardless of their causes. Since “...An ounce of protection is better than a pound of cure...” people should make sure that they practice fire prevention measures and also try as much as possible to prevent the fire accidents. Extreme efforts should be aimed at prevention of fires rather than their exhaustion. This is because prevention is better than cure and therefore prevention of such fires will ultimately lead to reduction of losses, which could have occurred as a result of the fires. Prevention of such fires should therefore be the responsibility of each and every person in the world to make it a safer place for humankind. Works Cited Adams, Maxwell. (1994). “Electrical Safety” New York: IET. Ainslie, Alexander. (1871). “Smoking Fires, their Cause and Cure”. New York: Longmans, Green, Reader and Dyer. Blaich, Peter (2008). “The Benefits of Behavioural Research to the Fire Service.” New York: iUniverse. Bourrinet, Jacques. (1992). “Wildland Fires and the Law” New York: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. Cote, Arthur, et al. (1988). “Principles of Fire Protection”. New York: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Ehorlyk, Earl (2012). “Smoking Material Probable Cause in Le Mars House Fire”. New York: Journal.com Furness, Andrew. Et al, (2007). “Introduction to Fire Safety management”. New York: Routledge. Leonard, Barry (2010). “Fire in the United States 2003-2007”. New York: DIANE Publishing. Lozano, Juan (2000). “Fire Marshal: Careless Smoker Probable Cause of Deadly Blaze”. New York: The Associated Press. Moore, Francis (1894). “Fires: Their Causes, Prevention and Extinction.” New York: Continental Insurance Company of New York. National Fire Protection Association (2008) “Fundamentals of Fire Fighter Skills”. New York: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Potter, Tim (2013). “Wichita Official: Cause of Fire that Killed Four was Careless Smoking”. New York: The Wichita Eagle. Schroll, Craig. (2002). “Industrial Fire Protection Handbook...”New York: CRC Press. US Fire Administration (2007). “Fire in the United States 2003-2007”. New York: FEMA. Ward, Michael. (2005). “Fire Officer: Principles and Practice”. New York: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Read More

Why smoking is regarded as being the major cause of fire Smoking has been regarded, as being one of the most common fire causes and outbreaks in not only homes but even in public places and offices as well. This is attributed to the fact that some of the discarded cigarette butts that are not extinguished can easily re-ignite and therefore resulting in fire accidents that are very disastrous. Most of the smokers are unaware of the fact that despite endangering their lives through the habit of smoking, they also worsening the situation through their activities which can result in fire tragedies that eventually lead to injuries, damages to properties and worse still to deaths.

Smokers should therefore ensure that they avoid smoking either in bed or before sleeping since they can fall asleep thus making the sheets to turn into instant flames. Smokers should therefore ensure that they douse their cigarettes in water before they dispose them so as they cannot re-ignite (Ainslie, 1871). Based on the above examples or case studies, it can be truly ascertained that despite the fact that there are other major causes of fire across the world, smoking of cigarettes was the major cause of such fires.

Numerous case studies regarding the occurrence of fires in different parts of the world indeed pointed to the fact that smoking of cigarettes was indeed the major cause of such fires. However, precaution should not be only taken by the smokers but precaution should be taken by all people since there are other probable causes of fire. Precaution regarding prevention of fires should therefore not be the responsibility of the smokers alone but rather, it should be a collective responsibility of all people.

Fire prevention should therefore be everyone’s job in order to avoid the destructions related to occurrence of such fires (National Fire Protection Association, 2008). According to an article by The Sydney Morning Herald dated 24th of July 1937 and titled “Secret Smoking: Probable Cause of Fire. Schoolboys’ Prank” it was thought by police that the smoking of cigarettes was the most probable cause of fire that led to the severe destruction of North Newton Public School located on Carillon Avenue on a Thursday night.

It was ascertained that some of the boys in the school were actually in the habit of locking themselves near the stairway as they smoked the cigars and therefore this was the most probable cause of the fire (US Fire Administration, 2007). Other causes of fires Despite the fact that there has been a widespread notion that smoking is the most probable causes of fires in most situations, there are also other causes of fires in the world. For instance, Kitchen Cooking has also been ascertained to be another cause of fires since this is the place where the fire normally starts.

This is because cooking usually involves the use of flammable materials like for instance gas and oil and flames as well. It is therefore necessary to exercise extreme caution when whenever people are in the kitchen (Blaich, 2008). Smoking alone cannot be ascertained as being the only cause of fire since some other hazardous materials like for instance paints, gases, liquids and some chemicals can cause fires. Apart from that, most scented candles are also known to cause fires around the house since they are used as decorative elements without ascertaining the risk that they pose to the environment.

It is therefore imperative for people to be careful especially when lighting up such candles. Such candles should therefore never be placed near windows, air vents, or drafts. Candles should be kept out of reach of children and children should not be allowed to play with matches, candles, lighters or anything, which can start a fire. Unlike cigarettes, candles can actually become a beautiful addition to people’s homes but their improper use can lead to more harm than use to one’s house (Bourrinet, 1992).

Electrical Fires Smoking alone cannot be the cause of fires in the world since unsafe electrical conditions can also result in electrical fires.

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