FIRE TECHNOLOGY AND ARSON INVESTIGATION ( CDI 6 )

Lesson 4 MIDTERM

Fire Pattern Analysis

After the fire fighting operation and once the fire ground commander declare the fire scene is fire out
the investigation will follow. In the field of Tire investigation one of the things that the fire investigator is
to trace or locate the fire pattern. One of the objective of a fire scene examination is the recognition or
identification and analysis of fire patterns is performed in an attempt to trace the fire spread, to identify
areas and the points of origin, and to identify fuels or the combustible involved

The identification and proper analysis of fire patterns by an investigator is dependent upon an
understanding of the dynamics of fire development and heat and flame spread.

Definition of Terms

In the area of fire investigation there are terminologist used as to:

Dynamics of Pattern Production- the recognition or the identification and the proper analysis the fire
patterns by the arson investigator is dependent upon the understanding of the dynamics of fire
development and heat and flame spread

Fire Pattern- are the physical effects that are visible or measurable remaining after a fire. This includes
thermal effects on materials, such as charring (Burned), oxidation, consumption of combustible, smoke,
and soot deposits; distortion, melting, Electrical beads, and the color changes and the changes in
character of materials, structural collapse, and other effects. (Fire investigators manuals)

Lines or areas of Demarcation- are the borders defining the difference in certain heat and smoke effects
of the fire upon various materials. The productions of lies of demarcation and the subsequent fire
patterns that they define are the dependent upon a combination of variables such as the materials itself,
the rate of heat release of the fire, the fire suppression activities, temperature of the heat source.
Like for instance a particula materials may show the same heat exposure patterns from exposure to a
low temperature heat source for a long period of time.

Types of Fire Patterns

There are two primary types of fire patterns and this are: fire patterns movements and the intensity
patterns. This type of fire patterns are define largely by the fire dynamics. Often a systematic use of
more than one type of fire pattern at a fire scene can be used in a combination to lead back to the heat
source that produced.

Movement Patterns- one of the things that the fire arson investigator to establish is the location of the
burned pattern or also called as the fingerprint of fire by doing this they may closely observe the
movement of the flame and the heat that may produce a volume of soot to the surface. The movement
patterns are commonly a

result of the growth and the progress of fire source if this things are accurately establish or Identified
and or analyzed by the fire arson investigator this pattern can be possibly traced back on where heat
source produced them

Intensity Patterns — the intensity pattern is a product of the response of a materials involve in a fire in
which an effect of various intensities of heat exposure. The various erects of the heat on a certain
material can produce lines cf demarcation (separation) this line of demarcation it may help the fire arson
investigator to determine the characteristics and quantities of fuel materials as well the direction of fire
spread.

Surface Effect of Char- it is a common a language that in every fire incidence that there is always trace
will be observe and this trace or marks will be useful to the fire arson investigator to establish the
possible point of origin on where the fire started and this point of Origin of can be establish through a
close observation of char or depth of burned. Since in every fire incidence most of the materials are
decomposed in the heat of a fire. The woods, binder, paints will turned into ashes or charred or it may
turn into a dark color of the painted surface,

WOOD CHAR

Wood char is common in every fire incidence specifically if the woods are not totally burned. Charred
wood is likely to be found in nearly all structural fires particularly if the structure is made of light
materials like a class "A" structure; when expose to elevated temperature, wood undergoes chemical
decomposition that drives off gases, water vapor, and various pyrolysis, since most of the chemical
substance of woods are made of cellulose.

In the field of fire arson investigation spalling is the breakdown in a surface tensile (tension ) strength of
concrete, masonry, and or bricks caused by exposure to a high temperature and rates of heating
resulting in mechanical forces within the materials.