8/8/23, 11:22 PM Interviewing and Timeline Skills Your Fire Investigation Expert Needs

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8/8/23, 11:22 PM Interviewing and Timeline Skills Your Fire Investigation Expert Needs
During investigation of a fire, information comes from all around the investigator, who should have a
Archived
way of assembling and ordering it when the smoke clears (literally) in order to successfully determine
the origin and cause of a fire. At a fire scene there is limited time to collect witness statements and Webinars
details from examination of the scene. A fire investigator may be at the scene with other investigators,
(https://www.tasanet.com/Kn
but the opinion formed needs to be solely his or hers. Investigators must take the time to push out the
Center/Archived-
clutter of everyone around them and put everything in its place.
Webinars)
There are plenty of articles on interviewing and asking the right questions, but all can be distilled into
Articles
the ability to listen. All too often investigators are tempted to use a form that will contain all the
questions with orderly check boxes. A good investigator conducting an interview with witnesses should (https://www.tasanet.com/Kn
put aside the forms for a few minutes and just let the witnesses tell their story without interrupting, Center/Articles)
and if possible, without distracting witnesses by writing while they speak. If the investigator is
constantly writing or interrupting, the witness will often wonder what is so important and start The TASA Times
analyzing what he or she is saying more carefully. Fire investigators should just listen and nod their
heads that they understand, even if they don't. Witnesses want to share their excitement, and yes, (https://www.tasanet.com/Blo
investigators will often encounter a witness with what I call the "hero complex" that the interviewer (https://www.tasanet.com/Co
must steer carefully around. Once a witness is finished telling his or her story, then the investigator can Us)
ask questions- some of which have already been answered. That first rush to tell a story is of great
value to the investigator who listens. Some witnesses may be intimidated by the investigator, and in Categories
letting them tell their story, you will often receive more insight and information than an authoritative
interview will accomplish. m/Knowledge-
/53/CategoryName/Accident-
uction)
Investigators don't have to accept as fact all that is said. People can and will try to influence the
Accident Analysis / Reconst
investigation. If investigators are drawn in to witness opinions, they will end up in the wrong spot at
Center/Articles/PID/4
the end of the investigation. Investigators can give weight to witness statements at a later time when
Analysis-Reconstruct
all of the evidence is collected and ordered. Investigators can always come back to that witness later in
the day. I often save something I want to know for the doorknob question- that's when I say thanks for m/Knowledge-
/159/CategoryName/Animals)
everything and close out, and then as I reach for the doorknob (real or imagined), I turn and say- oh, by
the way and ask that question as an afterthought. The doorknob question can often be the one that Animals(https://www.t
puts everything else in perspective because the witness thinks he or she is done and answers quickly. Center/Articles/PID/4
m/Knowledge-
After returning to the office, the investigator starts to sift through what has been learned at the fire 54/CategoryName/Appraisals-

scene. Witness statements, fire department response records, and investigation of the fire scene are all
important parts of the collective information that has to fit a fire growth scenario. A timeline lets the
investigator order information. Later, if the case goes to trial and the investigator is deposed, a timeline Let Us Find Your Exper
will help keep things in perspective. Those witness statements that were first listened to, and other
recorded and observed information, all have to fit, or they begin to smell like fish left in the fridge too
long. Note: This form is to be
completed by legal and
A timeline should be the starting point for fire investigations. A large eraser board in an office will work insurance professionals
while the case is active. The investigator should take a photo of the board before erasing it and place it ONLY. If you are a party
in case files. If done well, a timeline can transform a complicated set of events into a credible path to in a case that requires an
understanding the fire. If done poorly, a timeline becomes quicksand that will sink clear thinking and expert witness, please
distract the investigator from the solution. have your attorney
contact TASA at 800-523-
A timeline is simple to design and produce, and investigators can have several, especially at the 2319 (tel:8005232319).
beginning. A timeline based on the fire department records is a good place to start since it's accurate
and readily available. Receipt of alarm, arrival of the first company, a fire ground chief officer taking
over, and the dispatch or release of units all are detailed with actual time. Witness statements, Name
photographs, and video from a local TV station on a second timeline can fall into place around the fire
Name
department's recorded events (Is that the chief's car and the fire is venting from the north window
When did he arrive? - Bada Bing). I once tracked the fire department water use on an apartment fire
based upon when pumpers arrived, setup times and type of lines employed. The fire didn't go out until Phone
they had enough water on the fire, plain and simple, as described in fire training manuals. Finally, there
Phone
is the fire growth timeline. Each of these can exist independently in the beginning and be effectively
merged into a single timeline later.
Email
Fire Investigators must be careful not to manipulate their timelines to fit their theories. I once had a
fire that had a 15 minute growth from the time the wife left the house to when flames shot out of the Email
roof above the living room. Fires can grow that quickly, but need a reason, and it nagged at me and was
the weak spot in the timeline. The fire department investigator had taken a statement on when she left
Affiliation
for work, but not the length of her commute. I read the wife's deposition, where she had stated that she
arrived at work on time that morning and also stated that she left with no flame or smoke in the living Affiliation (if appli
room. Then she named the hospital where she worked in another city. A quick check of MapQuest, and
all of a sudden, my fire growth scenario had 45 minutes in which to break through the roof, making it
more plausible. I then had a problem with the wife's testimony. The fire growth on the timeline was Details
more plausible to flashover, and it changed my opinion of the fire from accidental to incendiary. A sister-
in-law's deposition about the wife's gambling problems hinted at motive.

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8/8/23, 11:22 PM Interviewing and Timeline Skills Your Fire Investigation Expert Needs
In the words of Johnny Cochran, "If it don't fit, you must acquit!" If the timeline has holes in it, the Use this space to
investigator must continue to look for the answers, or the fire will be undetermined. A timeline forces provide some
the investigator to look at the facts in the fire growth scenario that must be addressed. A fire is bound details about the
by the limits of physics and the fire triangle of heat, oxygen and fuel. The scientific method limits expert you require,
where you can go with opinions, and when a timeline is part of a fire investigator's methodology, it and a TASA referral
advisor will contact
supports opinions reached. you.

There are two basic types of timelines- the linear and the comparative.

Linear timelines carry the user through an event that has occurred over a period of time. They typically
Captcha
consist of one subject and one time frame. The fire department timeline is a linear timeline.

Comparative timelines also carry the user through an event as it occurred over a period of time but
I'm not a robot
contains two or more subjects. This is the "who saw or did what, when" timeline.

I hold onto individual timelines until I have reached a conclusion about the case and then file them
away as a part of the discovery production. In the end, I may merge timelines if possible, but there are
some considerations there as well. A timeline with too much data becomes confusing, and while it's a Request Information
visual record, it should also be designed to communicate what the investigator knows to others on the
investigation team or later in court. Witness statements that are contrary to the timeline are removed
after a good vetting against the other data. The timeline can help substantiate why a statement was or
should be discarded when the opposing attorney claims it is being ignored.

A timeline is a wonderful demonstrative aid in court. Have it technically enhanced for a large monitor.
There is nothing wrong with having two timelines on the same sheet with the simple linear fire Search Experts
department recorded times on the top and the comparative timeline below. Referencing each solidifies
opinions, and everyone can see that opinions are ordered and logical. Attorneys can use timelines to TASA provides a variety
point out key trial testimony that has occurred. In court, wrap investigators' testimony around the of quality, independent
timelines, and they will be more credible.
experts who meet your
When designing a timeline, investigators should consider these guiding principles: case criteria. Search our
extensive list of experts
1. Determine what they want to accomplish with the timeline for themselves and in explaining it to now.
others.

2. Choose the linear or comparative timeline and stay within the bounds for each. Search Experts
(/search-experts)
3. Keep it simple! Complicated timelines can confuse the entire courtroom, including the investigator.

4. Establish a visual hierarchy by separating subjects in a definitive way by color, placement above or
below the timeline, circles and squares around similar information sources, or any other method that
helps to include everything.

5. The investigator should start with a large timeline. An eraser board or paper works equally well.
Using 11X17 sketchpads with a grid can help keep things more organized. The investigator should start
with time 0 on the far left, place fire out on the far right, and fill in intermediate times from there. If
investigators use a large pad, they can hold it up for others to see and use it to explain easily what is
happening.

Timelines should be clear and concise so that others can pick them up and understand them.

When a case goes to trial, a timeline can become a teaching tool for the jury. The slick one on the big
LED screen will work. However, if the investigator is sitting in the box with his or her hand- drawn
timeline introduced as evidence, the jury will buy into the investigator being a real pro and not a
mouthpiece for the attorney. Having the investigator hold it up to the jury and put red stars on key
points as he or she addresses the jury directly will engage the jury every time over the big fancy LED
version. That larger-format sketchpad timeline will stand out from the stack of paper evidence when it's
placed on the conference table in the jury room during deliberations, and it will be picked up. That
paper timeline will be the one they pass around in the jury room and that the jury bounces opposing
testimony against if it's introduced. An investigator who uses a timeline as an investigative tool imparts
to the jury key information that sticks.

In fire investigation, the goal is to reach a determination about the fire. A good investigator listens to
what others want to say at the fire scene and reduces the facts to timelines to make certain that
opinions are ordered, based upon facts, and supported by information collected.

This article discusses issues of general interest and does not give any specific legal or business advice
pertaining to any specific circumstances. Before acting upon any of its information, you should obtain
appropriate advice from a lawyer or other qualified professional.

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