Fire & Explosion Investigations Data Collection Part I

By Jerry R. Tindal, M.S.M.E., P.E., CFEI

One of the key aspects of any fire or explosion investigation is the collection of data and facts about the incident. There are various types of data that may at some point be used in analyzing the origin and cause of a fire or explosion. The types can be broken down into two general categories based on the methods used to collect the data. The first category includes data that usually requires no specialized skills, techniques or methods to collect and usually exists in some form of electronic or written document that was completed prior to or after the incident. The second category includes data that requires specialized skills, techniques or methods to collect and includes, but is not necessarily limited to, scene examinations and documentation, evidence identification, collection and preservation, testing and experimentation and witness interviewing. Both categories of data are critical to conducting a thorough analysis. This article will discuss the first category of data. The second category will be discussed in a latter issue.

Start collecting data immediately after you learn of the incident. Don't wait for your fire investigator and engineer to start collecting the data. Although a competent expert will begin collection of this data at the onset of his or her investigation, the investigator is sometimes not contacted or allowed on the scene for several days or weeks after the incident. The early collection of data will save time, save money and help ensure information is not lost. In particular, electronically recorded data is susceptible to being overwritten and lost if it is not extracted in time. The checklist below identifies some of the types of data, which may be available for early collection immediately or shortly after a fire or explosion incident has occurred:

• Fire Department Incident Report(s) (Sometimes more than one fire department will respond to the fire. Each responding fire department will prepare a report)
• Fire Marshal Incident Report
• Police Department Incident Report
• Other Available Incident or Investigative Reports
• Building or Structure Plans
• Building Maintenance Logs and Records
• Building and Systems Repair/Renovation/Modification Records including but not limited to:
        Recent work orders
        Invoices
        Contracts
  
• Building and Systems Electronic Data or Monitoring Records
        Fire and Burglar Alarms
        HVAC Equipment
        Fire Sprinkler Systems
        Security Systems
        Employee/Visitor Time Logs
  
• Machinery and Equipment Operation Manuals
• Machinery and Equipment Maintenance Manuals
• Machinery and Equipment Maintenance and Repair Logs and Records
• Machinery and Equipment or Process Electronic Data or Monitoring Records (Monitored and recorded operations or process data that may include temperatures, pressures, flow rates, speeds or the general functioning parameters of the equipment or process)
• Weather Data (Temperature, Wind, Humidity for the day of the incident as well as several days preceding the event)
• Identification of Witnesses to the Incident
• Identification of Persons Knowledgeable of the Building or Equipment That May be Involved
• Identification of the Last Person(s) in the Building or Around Equipment That May Have Been Involved
• Photographs of the Building or Equipment Prior to the Incident
• Photographs or Videotapes Taken During the Incident or Suppression Efforts (i.e., Fire Departments and Police Departments)