Origin & Cause Determination Flashcards
7 cards from real CFI practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Origin & Cause Determination flashcards as text
What role does 'fuel load' play in interpreting fire patterns during origin determination?
Answer: Heavy fuel loads can create intense localized burning that may be mistaken for an accelerated fire or secondary origin
Concentrated fuel loads can produce intense, localized burning patterns that may resemble accelerant use or multiple origins, requiring investigators to account for fuel distribution when interpreting patterns.
Which of the following best describes the 'scientific method' as applied to fire investigation?
Answer: A systematic process of recognizing a problem, collecting data, forming hypotheses, testing them, and reaching conclusions
The scientific method applied to fire investigation involves recognizing the problem, defining it, collecting data, analyzing the data, developing hypotheses, testing those hypotheses, and selecting the final hypothesis.
A post-fire examination reveals that a circuit breaker serving a particular circuit has tripped. What conclusion should the investigator draw from this finding alone?
Answer: The circuit experienced an overload or fault, but this could be the cause or a result of the fire
A tripped breaker indicates the circuit experienced an overload or fault, but this can result from fire damage to wiring (fire as cause) or from an electrical failure that started the fire—further analysis is required.
In NFPA 921 methodology, what is the difference between 'eliminating' and 'excluding' a hypothesis?
Answer: A hypothesis is eliminated when physically impossible; it is excluded when the evidence is merely inconsistent with it
NFPA 921 distinguishes that a hypothesis should only be eliminated if it is physically impossible; otherwise, inconsistent evidence may exclude it from consideration without full elimination.
What is 'alligatoring' in the context of fire investigation, and what is its investigative significance?
Answer: A pattern of large, shiny blisters on charred wood that was once believed to indicate accelerant use but is now understood to reflect burning conditions
Alligatoring refers to the scaly, blistered charring pattern on wood; research has shown it reflects heat intensity and duration, not accelerant use, and should not be used as a sole indicator of arson.
A fire investigator is called to a scene where the owner reports the fire started near an electrical outlet. Which step should the investigator take FIRST?
Answer: Independently examine the physical evidence to determine whether the physical evidence supports, refutes, or is neutral to the owner's account
Witness statements are one data point but must be evaluated against physical evidence; the investigator must independently analyze the scene to determine whether the physical evidence is consistent with the reported location.
What does NFPA 921 identify as the primary indicator of fire origin?
Answer: The area of origin is typically identified by the lowest area of burning and the point of most fire pattern convergence
NFPA 921 states that the area of origin is generally identified by the lowest area of fire damage and the convergence of fire patterns pointing back toward a single area.