FIRE TECHNOLOGY AND

ARSON INVESTIGATION
(CDI 6)
 TOPICS
 Lesson 1
a. Introduction
b. Brief history of Fire and its uses
c. Early years of organized firefighting
d. Energy and works related to fire, heat
c. Ignition sources

 Lesson 2
a. Fire gases
b. Methods of heat transfer
c. Stages of development of fire
d. The fire card running system

 Lesson 3
a. Flame over/ Roll over
b. Thermal layering gases
c. Causes of fire
d. Classification of ventilation in fire operation
e. Types of prevention of loss control
 Lesson 1
Introduction:

The incidence of fire/fires suspected to be

arson always on the run fire incidence is
common occurrence in any place wherever you
are where ever you stay.

There was an adage that “It’s better to be

a victim of robbers than to become a victim of
fire”, because they will only get the things that
can only bring, but if the fire will attack they will
destroy all your property and everything even
life will lost or turn into ashes, the only
similarity of these two they both attack without
your knowledge or they will attack any time any
day.
 Historically speaking fire is very important in all
walks of life of the human race because its natural
uses.

Fire incidence has been increasing over the past

years both numbers and percentage of all fires.

Most often fire incidence is always occurred in

the place on where the informal settlers are
commonly converge to a certain place. Most of the
time the causes of the incidence of fire is electrical
short circuit of bitterly known as faulty wiring.
Faulty wiring
Technically speaking faulty electrical wiring causes
of fire is corrected but logically this term is not the right
term because when we say faulty electrical wiring causes
it means that during the construction of the building or
house the electrical technician installed the house wiring
connection is correct but it explode or it turns into a short
circuit.

But if the time come the building was burned due

to cause of wiring connection then this is not the cause of
faulty wiring connection, in short the term to be use is
electrical short circuit or overloading of electrical power
connection.
A Brief History of Fire and its Causes:
THROUGH the centuries there has been such an
intimate connection of fire with the cultural growth of
humanity that whatever relates to the antiquity of fire is
important in tracing- the history of early progress.' And
because all inventions make use of what has gone before,
the steps, which lead up to the making of the first stoves,
are necessary in writing of their history.
Logically, of course, we may assume there was once
a time when man had no fire, but very early he must have
become acquainted with fire derived from natural
sources, and made use of it; for no remains of man's art
show him without fire as his companion. Much later in
the scheme of things he invented processes for making
fire artificially.
 Many of the legends or myths relating to the origin of
fire are vivid and dramatic, and while they vary in detail
there appears to be a similarity in many of the episodes
that form the fire-origin story in all countries of the
world.'
Stealing fire from the gods, one of the first incidents,
was made more or less exciting by the strategy employed
in acquiring, it. Prometheus, for example, stole fire from
the heavens in a hollow tube, one of the feats which gave
him the reputation of being a great benefactor of men.'
After the transportation of fire was solved, it was
occasionally borrowed, and while the meaning is lost, the
phrase is still used when one says: "May I borrow a
light?"'
 CURFEW OR "FIRE-COVER“

With the acquisition of fire came the problem of

preserving it and interesting examples of the ingenuity of
man were presented. First, the fire was buried; preserved
in the ashes of the fire itself. Next, a type of slow-match
or fire-stick was developed, and later, when man worked
with metals, the curfew, or "fire-cover" was invented. The
coals were raked together and collected in the chimney
recess; the curfew set over them, preserving the fire until
morning.' Those surviving are of sheet brass having
perforations, and a handle.
 Beating drums was one of the earliest methods used to tell
members of a community that it was curfew time. The use of bells
for this purpose is also of great antiquity, and in 1068, during the
reign of William the Conqueror, the bells were rung by law, at
seven in the evening, so that all might cover the fire and extinguish
the lights. This also prohibited nocturnal assemblies.
Henry 1 repealed this law about 1100, but bells' have continued to
be rung for curfew until very modern times. In the United States,
an ordinance establishing a curfew was adopted by many towns in
colonial days and existed until the first quarter of the 20th Century.
In the later years it provided in general that children under 15
should not frequent the streets after 9 o'clock in summer and 8
o'clock in winter. In April 1943 the curfew law was again invoked in
Massachusetts so that no one under 17 could be on the streets
after 11 p. m. during the existence of dim-out regulations.
 Fires -needed watching, not only to keep them from going
out, but from spreading, or theft, so a fire-keeper was delegated to
the work, thus starting a social organization.
The early fires also formed a nucleus for human grouping, and
became tribal or communal fires, from which the individual family
fires derived.
Symbolic and superstitious uses of fire have been common to
all faces, and at an early period the altar fires were kept sacred -
the symbol of religion - but as time went on the significance
gradually lessened, and finally the hearth became the center- of
the home, with its hospitality and good cheer.' So through the
centuries the lure of fire has remained one of the strongest
instincts of the human race.
 When possible the communal fire was placed in front of a
rock shelter or cave; in a place safe and convenient for the use of
everyone, and the necessity for a screen to protect the early
bonfires from the wind may have been the reason for the round
form of house thought to be the earliest.' Later individual fires
were built in the center of the family shelters, where the hearth
became known as the chimney. The term, chimney, then was used
to include the hole or flue which carried off the smoke of the fire
burning- in a pit in the center of the floor.
History has failed to record the inventor, or to tell the place
where chimneys as we might recognize them were first used, but
they seem to have been common in Venice before the middle of
the 14th Century, for- a number of them were thrown down by an
earthquake there in 1347."
 And chimneys apparently were built in Padua before 1368, for
in that year Francesco de Carrao, Lord of Padua, with a large
retinue arrived in Rome. There were no chimneys in the inn where
he stayed, and the smoke from the fire (built in a hole in the floor)
was just too much for him. So he had two chimneys built by
workmen (masons and carpenters) he brought with him
(anticipating the situation, no doubt) and over the chimneys he
placed his arms."
In England, the oldest actual remains of chimneys are
supposed to be those of Winwall House, Not-folk, and of
Kenilworth and Conway Castles, built in the 12th Century."
Leland, in his Itinerary, mentioned those of Bolton Castle:
"One thing I muche notyed in the haulle of Bolton, how chimneys
were conveyed by tunnels made on the sides of the walls bytwixt
the lights in the haulle, and by this means, and by no covers, is the
smoke of the bai-tbe in the haulle wonder strangely conveyed."
 During the reign of the Tudors, chimneys became a prominent
and beautiful architectural feature, but even while Elizabeth was
queen, apologies were made to guests if they could not be given
rooms with chimneys, and ladies were often sent to the neighbors
where they could enjoy this luxury, available for some time only in
the homes of the wealthy.
In the homes of the common people the fire was still being
kindled against a hob of clay in the back or center of the room.
Only part of the smoke which filled the room ever found its way
out through the opening- in the roof or wall, sometimes only a few
feet above the level of the hearth."
Wattle and clay chimneys were being erected as late as 1621,
when a Mr. Skinner of Sudbury, England was ordered to "amend
his dangerous chimney," and afterwards were fined for not doing
it.
 On April 7, 1719 other clay chimneys were ordered to be
rebuilt of brick."
In the New England colonies, chimneys on the first houses
were built of wood. Logs or sticks were placed one above another
at right angles, and plastered with clay or mortar, and roofs were
thatched with reeds or flags.'7
Great exposure to fire was always imminent with this style of
building-, although chimneys and roofs were subject to frequent
inspection by officers detailed for the duty.
The first fire in the town of Boston occurred on the 16th of
March, 1631 from the imperfect claying of one of the cattied"
chimneys, and two buildings were destroyed.
Later, officers known as "firewards" were appointed by the
justices of peace and selectmen of the towns from time to time,
and were distinguished by a staff five feet in length, colored red,
and headed by a brass spire six inches long."
 Governor Dudley prohibited wooden chimneys and thatched
roofs, and they were also forbidden in the Dutch colony at
Manhattan.
Despite the law, inflammable materials must have continued
long in use, for President Washington, in his tour of the eastern
states in 1789, considered the fact that dwellings generally hid
stone or brick chimneys an item worthy of record in his diary.
The principles of the chimney were but poorly understood for
many years. No matter how perfect they seemed the builders were
never sure they wouldn't smoke, and with a mysterious pertinacity
the smoke which should -o up, came down. For a long time too, so-
called chimney doctors (who professed to remedy smoky
chimneys) flourished; engaged in what today would be termed a
racket."
 The first recorded effort to study the matter of smoky
chimneys on a scientific basis was that of Louis Savot, a physician
of Paris, during the 16th Century. He failed to find the real trouble,
although he did improve the form of the fireplace opening by
narrowing the width, so that less air could enter on each side of
the fire. And he showed that the flue should be smooth to lessen
the friction of the ascend-ing smoke.
Benjamin Franklin spent a great deal of time trying to find a
cure for smoky chimneys, and after his reputation as an heating
expert had been established, he complained that wherever he
visited he was asked to remedy one.
He repeatedly spoke of the disadvantages of the large
fireplace, and the necessity of the chimney-cloth (a contrivance
placed at the upper opening of the fireplace to lower the opening)
to keep smoke from coming out into the room.
 In his pamphlet published in 1745, Franklin listed the
inconveniences of the large fireplace, when he wrote:
"They almost always smoke, if the door were not left open.
They require a large funnel, and a large funnel carries off a great
quantity of air, which occasions -hat is called a strong draft to the
chimney, without which strong draft the smoke would come out of
some part or other of so large an opening, so that the door can
seldom be shut; and the cold air so nips the backs and heels of
those that sit before the fire."
 Lesson 1
EARLY YEARS OF ORGANIZED FIREFIGHTING

ROME
The first Roman fire brigade was a grouped of slaves who
were hired by Marcus Ignatius Rufus. Augustus took this idea
from Rufus and then built on it to form the vigils in 6 A.D to
combat fires using buckets and pumps, as well as poles and
hooks to tear down buildings in advance of the flames. The
Vigiles patrolled the streets of Rome to watch for fires and
served the police force.

1666-United Kingdom (The Great Fire of London)

The Great of fire in London in 1666 started in a baker’s
shop in Pudding Lane, which consumed about two square miles
of the city, leaving ten thousands homeless, prior to this fire,
London had no organized fire protection system. Afterwards
insurance companies formed private fire brigades the company
insured.
 Lesson 1
Hans Hautsh
A German investor who improved the manual pump by
creating the first suction and force pump and adding some
flexible hoses to the pump.

Jan Van Der Heyden

A Dutch investor who invented the fire hose in 1672
constructed from flexible leather and coupled every 50 feet (15
meters) with brass fittings, the length and connections
remained the standard up to this day.

Richard Newsham
A native of London further developed the fire engine in
1725, pulled as a cart to the fire scene, these manual pumps
were manned by teams of men and could deliver up to 160
gallons per minutes at up to 120 feet (40 meters).
 Lesson 1

Governor John Winthrop

Boston's Governor who outlawed wooden chimneys and
thatched roofs in 1631.

Governor Peter Stuvvesant

New Amsterdam Governor who in 1648, appointed four
men to act as fire wardens. They were empowered to inspect
all chimneys and to fine any violators of the rules.
 Lesson 1
Other Events and Personalities Significance to Fire
Services.

Bucket Brigade- first known firefighting unit organized

thousands of years B.C

Dr. Nicolas Barton- underwrote the first insurance policy

and organized the first known fire department.

Paul Hodge- designed and built the first steam-powered

fire engine in New York in 1840.

Moses Latta- built fire engines in 1852 that was

successfully put into service during the Cincinnati, Ohio
fire on January 1, 1852.
 Lesson 1
National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) -organized in
1896 to set standards on fire prevention and firefighting
procedures.

Great Triangle Fire- occurred in 1911 in New York which

led to the adoption and promulgation of fire codes.

Regimen De Pompier- firefighting unit organized in France

during the first World War.

Manila Fire Department- first organized fire department

in the Philippines established on August 6, 1901 with
Captain F.R Hodge as it first fire chief.
 Lesson 1
Capt. Jacinto Lorenzo- first Filipino was appointed as fire chief on Oct. 19, 1935 before
the inauguration of the Philippine Commonwealth Government. He also reduced the
schedule of duties of firemen from 4 straight days service with 7 hours day off and 15
hours night off to 48 hours duty and 24 hours off duty.

PD 765- signed on Aug. 8, 1975 by Pres. Marcos establishing the INP integrating all local
police and fire forces into one national organization.

PD 1185- the first known fire code of the Philippines, signed into law by Pres. Marcos on
Aug. 26, 1977.

National Fire Service Council- created by Juan Ponce Enrile who was a Minister of
Defense at the time, the council recommended the establishment of a national training
center for the fire service.

National Fire Service Training Center (NFSTC)- established on Oct. 1, 1979 with FCol.
Jose V Cajipe as the training commandant, known as the
Fire National Training Institute (FNTI).
 Lesson 1
Investigative aspect of fire behavior

Since common causes of fire is always an accidental fire but in the field of fire
investigation this causes is always considered but it needs in-depth investigation so that
the said alleged causes will be proved after the fire investigation conducted by the fire
personnel.

Arson is the crime of deliberately setting fire to others property for fraudulent or
malicious purposes. Same with the other common crimes, the purpose or the motive is
more important to establish.

An investigation of fire is fundamentally a search for an information regarding the

real causes of fire, the fire investigator presume on where and how the fire started and
then categorizes it as natural, accidental and or arson.
 Lesson 1
Physical science of fire (Chemistry of fire)

Fire is a rapid chemical reaction that gives off energy and products of combustion
that are very different in composition from the fuel and oxygen that combined to
produce them. For the purpose of simple understanding on how the fire grows and
products of combustible materials it’s better to emphasized the basic theory from
physical science or the chemistry of fire which also include the related laws of physics
and its relation to matter and energy (Hall and Barbara 1998).
 Lesson 1
Ignition and Burning

Before the combustible materials will ignite or burn

we need to understand first the basic concept and
importance the three things in order that the fire will
occur and these are: FUEL, OXYGEN, HEAT.

Fire and Combustion

FIRE- is a form of combustion or a chemical reaction.

COMBUSTION- is a self-sustaining chemical reaction

yielding energy of products that may cause further
reactions of the same kind (Hall and Barbara 1998).
 The Tetrahedron of Fire
Oxygen Sources Heat Sources
Approximately 16% To Reach Ignition Temperature
Required Open Flames - The Sun
Normal air contains Hot Surfaces
21% O2. Some fuel Sparks and Arcs
Friction - Chemical Action
materials contain
Electrical Energy
sufficient oxygen within
Compression of Gases
their makeup to support
burning.
CHEMICAL
REACTION

SOLID LIQUID GAS

Bulky - Dust Gasoline Kerosene Natural Gas Propane
Finely Divided Coal Turpentine Alcohol Butane Hydrogen
Wood Paper Liver Oil Paint Acetylene
Cloth Plastic Varnish Lacquer Carbon Monoxide
Grain Others Olive Oil Others
 Lesson 1
Energy and works related to fire, heat, ignition
sources:

1. Mechanical heat- is the heat or

friction it will produce whenever the two
Surfaces move against each other, like
For instance when a person rub his palms.

2. Solar Heat- transferred between two bodies of

differing temperature such as sun.
 Lesson 1

3. Chemical heat- two or more substances combining

in order to form a new substance.

4. Electrical Heat- heat produced by electrical wiring,

appliances and equipment is responsible for many
fires. Electrical wiring is frequently involved in fire,
generally because there is so much of it in most
structures. When wiring is heat source for fire heat
produced within the wiring moves out through the
insulation to ignite nearby combustible.
ANY QUESTIONS
 QUIZ
ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

1. Historically speaking why FIRE is important?

2. What is Faulty Wiring?
3. What is ARSON?
4. Distinguish FIRE from COMBUSTION?
 

Note: Send your answers to my personal messenger account not exceeding five (5)
minutes in your scheduled time. void copying each other. I accept your answers either in
document or jpeg, and it should be readable.

GOOD LUCK……..