[...]... O’Connor with the first edition of Practical Fire and Arson Investigation, it was mostly technical in nature I provided a majority of the photographs and some personal knowledge and experience in certain areas Now it is ten years later and my knowledge and experience has grown It is therefore appropriate and the time is right for updating this book with a second edition While the knowledge and training levels... Weisman, H M (Ed), Arson Resource Directory, Arson Resource Center Office of Planning and Education, U.S Fire Administration, Washington, D.C., March 1980 Wood, W (SAC Explosives Branch, ATF), “The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Arson Program,” Arson: Resource Exchange Bull., Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S Fire Administration, October 1980 ©1997 CRC Press LLC Arson Motives and Pathology... save lives and property in blazes, the causes of which may never be determined Nationwide, 103 firefighters died in the line of duty in 1994 ©1997 CRC Press LLC Table 1.1 Estimates of 1994 U.S Fires and Property Loss by Property Use Type of Fire Number of Fires Percent Change Estimate from 1993 Fires in structures 614,000 Fires in highway vehicles 402,000 Fires in other vehiclesb 20,000 66,500 Fires outside... Methodology, in Fire and Explosion Investigations, NFPA 921, National Fire Protection Association, Boston, 1992 Braun, K J and Ford, R E., Organizing an arson task force, FBI Law Enforcement Bull., 50(3), March 1981 DeLuca, T (Battalion Chief, Los Angeles City Fire Department), Los Angeles Arson Suppression Task Force, Arson: Resource Exchange Bull., Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S Fire Administration,... H.C (Fire Marshals’ Association of North America), “Is Arson Legislation Adequate/Inadequate?” Arson: Resource Exchange Bull., Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S Fire Administration, Washington, D.C., July 1980 National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Fire loss in the United States during 1993, Fire Journal, 1994 Sanders, Robert E., National response teams: ATF’s coordinated effort in arson. .. Such minimum guidelines should include the subject matter as outlined and contained in Practical Fire and Arson Investigation Keep in mind that this book, like the many others on the subject of fire investigation, has been compiled from each investigators many and varied experiences in the field And just as their individual backgrounds and experiences are unique, so too is each fire The guidelines outlined... associations with the police and fire service, others are characteristically immature, inadequate underachievers The fire buff who sets fires is seeking attention and attempting in a pathological way to win praise and social recognition for his alertness and heroism in reporting fires and helping to fight them” (Rider 1980) Juvenile Fire Setters and Vandalism In 1994, over 55% of arson arrests in the U.S were... setting it (Rider, 1980) The motives for arson are as diverse as the walks of life from which arsonists come These motives include but are not limited to profit (fraud), revenge, vandalism, excitement, crime concealment, and the aforementioned psychological compulsion The rest of this chapter describes and discusses each of these major motives for arson Arson for Profit Arson for profit is responsible for about... by showing conflicting information, deception, and false statements.… It may be much easier to solve an arson fraud than it would be to prove a straight arson case (Walsh, 1979) Revenge and Prejudice Arson motivated by revenge, spite, and jealousy accounts for a high percentage of the number of intentional fires occurring in the U.S Those who commit such arson include “jilted lovers, feuding neighbors,... specifically and the causes of the fire in general The best indication that these messages and warnings are being taken seriously is the tremendous growth in the manufacture and sale (in the millions) of smoke and/ or flame detectors Community groups have formed throughout the nation in an effort to curtail the seemingly unchecked spread of arson in their neighborhoods The public is outraged and demanding swift . R. Practical fire and arson investigation, second edition/ David R. Redsicker and John J. O’Connor Originally published: New York: Elsevier, 1986 (CRC series in practical aspects of criminal and. References and Selected Readings 4 Chemistry and Behavior of Fire Components of Fire Chemistry of Fire Behavior of Fire Classification of Fire Phases of Fire Rate of Burn Fuel Load Fire. Investigation References 2 Arson Motives and Pathology Arson for Profit Commercial Fire Checklist Revenge and Prejudice Vanity Juvenile Fire Setters and Vandalism Crime Concealment Psychological