Fire investigators apply the scientific method under NFPA 921 to determine origin and cause, examining burn patterns, fire dynamics, electrical evidence, and witness accounts. Certification through IAAI is common.
NFPA 921 is the recognized guide.
Alternative Names:
Fire Investigator, Origin and Cause Investigator
Why it Matters?
NFPA 921 compliance is the admissibility framework, and investigators who reached a conclusion without following its methodology face exclusion, particularly where they eliminated causes without testing alternatives. Negative corpus reasoning, concluding a cause by elimination without affirmative evidence, was specifically addressed in NFPA 921 revisions and is a productive challenge. Scene preservation and spoliation issues also arise routinely.
Frequently Confused with
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
What is NFPA 921?
What is negative corpus reasoning?
