Exam (elaborations) CFEI

Evidence - Demonstrative Tangible items; see, touch, smell, hear. Evidence - Documentary Written form; business records, banking, calendars, phone records, fire reports, etc... Evidence - Testimonial Competent live witness speaking under oath; two types; fact and expert Evidence - illustrative Photos, sketches, maps, diagrams. Modes are frequently used at trial. Evidence - illustravtive Photos and Videos; what, why, how, when Evidence collection Document in place, document the collection, use proper container, (flag, bag, & tag) Evidence - collection Fuel gas powered tools outside the perimeter. Find out where tools were refuels. Heat transfer Conduction, convection, radiation Interviews Purpose of the interview; prepare for the interview, document the interview Vehicle Fires Sparks from an aluminum wheel are not a competent ignition source. Vehicle Fires The most common source of an open flame in a vehicle is an exhaust system backfire out of a carburetor. Vehicle Fires Carburetor backfire leaves a distinct pattern on the hood. Vehicle Fires Two basic fuel systems: vacuum/low pressure carbureted system, and high- pressure, fuel injected system. Vehicle Fires Loose battery connections; not over-current protected; loose connections can result in intermittent arcing. Vehicle Fires Power steering fluid: Flashpoint 347-356*F, autoignition 680-720*F. Vehicle Fires Automatic Transmission Fluid: Flashpoint 302-536*F, autoignition 626- 716*F. Vehicle Fires Overcharging a battery does not cause it to explode. Explosions Low order damage: characterized by walls bulge out or laid down, virtually intact, next to the structure. roofs slightly left. Explosions High order damage: shattering of the structure, producing small debris pieces. Explosions Post blast effects: burned debris away-fire preceded, unburned the debris away-no fire. Explosions Dust explosions: most often occur in confined areas of relatively wide dispersal. Explosions Search 1.5 times further than the farthest piece of debris. Fire effects/ fire patterns Char shrinks as it forms. More reliable for evaluating fire spread, deduce the direction based on depth, large shiny blisters (alligatoring) is not evidence of the use of an accelerant. Fire effects/fire patterns Spalling: loss of surface material due to cracking, breaking, chipping, breakdown in surface tensile strength, moisture present in the concrete, may appear lighter in color. Fire effects/fire patterns Crazed glass: caused by rapid cooling. Fire effects/fire patterns Light bulbs 25W or more "pull" (gases expand and bubble out); 25W or less contain a vacuum and can pull in. Fire effects/fire patterns Annealing (softening) of springs may provide clues concerning direction, duration, and intensity. Fire effects/fire patterns Saddle burns - A U-shaped burn pattern found on the top of floor joists, caused by fire burning down through the floor. Often, a saddle burn is caused by a burning liquid on the floor or radiant heat from a material close to the floor. Saddle burns display deep charring. Fire effects/fire patterns Inverted cone burns are indicative of the vertical flame plume not reaching the ceiling, short-lived fires with a low HRR Fire effects/fire patterns Melting Temperatures: Copper 1981*F; Aluminum 1220*F; Steel 2760*F