BBAI Fire Investigations Blog

Is Your Home Secure From Break Ins ?

2005-12-22T15:31:00.000-08:00

Although, this post isn't about fires or arson - it is about keeping your home safe from intruders and theives and is worth a look.

The Vancouver Police Department (vpd.ca) and Kwantlen College have put together some useful info. on keeping your home secure and how not to make it easy for theives to help themselves to your goods. Check it out here http://www.kwantlen.ca/vpd/

Admissibility of Expert Witness Evidence

2005-12-01T08:12:00.000-08:00

The principles of fire scene investigations have never changed, only the amount of scrutiny has. This is very much apparent when examining how fire investigators are handled has expert witnesses in a court of law.

An expert witness is someone who testifies under oath, and whom the court considers to have sufficient expertise in their field of study that he/she can testify about more than just what they have seen, heard, or experienced. An expert witness can tell the court about what conclusions they would reach as a result of certain facts presented to them. An expert witness is also allowed to testify on any opinions that they might have regarding the case. To obtain expert witness status, there is a pre-screening process conducted by the attorneys in the case to discuss proper qualifications and experience, usually at voir dire.

To ensure that the expert witness is qualified, and the testimony they are giving is generally accepted within their respective field, the information they present must pass 'The Mohan Test'. This principle was developed in 1994 in, Her Majesty the Queen vs. Mohan ([1994] 2 S.C.R 9). This makes sure that:

(1) The information is relevant to the proceedings;
(2) The information assists the trier of fact;
(3) It is with the absence of an exclusionary rule; and
(4) The expert is properly qualified.

Brian Brown and Associates Inc. has many court qualified experts who would be more than happy to assist in any court related information that you may be pursuing.

BBAI Fire Investigations - Introduction

2005-11-23T13:02:00.000-08:00

Brian Brown & Associates Inc. (BBAI) has re-launched our blog!

Our goal is to make this forum an active platform where we can post interesting fire related information and interact with clients etc.

Feel free to post fire related topics on our board. For more information on our fire investigations services, please refer to our website at www.bbai.com

The Three Modes of Measurement

2005-11-22T19:17:00.000-08:00

For people just entering the field (or maybe even just curious), there are three principle factors that a fire investigator must consider when attempting to determine the origin and cause of a wildland fire.

Number One: Fuel

Fire requires four elements to continue combustion: Heat, Fuel, Oxygen, and a Chemical Chain Reaction. The main reason that wildland fires get to the point of being uncontrollable is due to the amount of fuel present. In a well forested area, the trees (fuel) are typically found close together, which increases the rate of radiant heat being transmitted. In a short brush area, the brush (fuel) is smaller, less dense, and typically found in further proximity. The less dense material will burn quicker; however, is less likely to spread due to the distance of other nearby fuel sources.

Number Two: Wind

When a fire investigator has to determine the path most likely taken by a fire, wind is a very concerning issue. This comes in two forms, intensity and direction. Of course, the more intense the wind, the more oxygen it is providing the emanating fire, and the more quickly it transfers the radiant heat and subsequent embers. With direction, the probability of fire travelling with the wind is much greater than it transferring to directions not being pushed by the wind. Key concepts with this are microclimatology and wind drafting.

Number Three: Elevation

Elevation again brings up the concept of radiant heat. The universal understanding that every wildland fire investigator has is that fire can burn quicker uphill than it can downhill; take the example of lighting a match. A match is lit and held upwards, the flame burns straight up. A match is lit and held sideways, the flame burns straight up and sideways towards the stick. A match is lit and held downwards, the flame burns straight up towards the stick. The same principles are taken towards a fire burning on a hill, the flames will move quicker upwards and sideways than they will downwards (assuming the fuel is even throughout the hill). This is not to say that flames can't spread downhill, because they can, the radiant heat is just alot weaker, and the fuel must combust and falldown in order to ignite the lower portions.

Safety Info - The Home Owners Fire Smart Manual

2005-03-23T13:00:00.000-08:00

BC's ministry of forests website is offering a free PDF download The Home Owners Fire Smart Manual on their site.

Description: As more new developments grow in forested areas and new dwellings are built in natural areas, the public at large should be aware of and united against the problems related to wildfire and the preventative actions required to augment the efforts of organized firefighting services. Download --> http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/protect/safety/pamphlets/FireSmart-BC4.pdf

The 16 page manual requires that you have Adobe Acrobat on your computer. If you don't have it you can get it here http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html