NFPA 921: Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations, 2008 Edition

Complex fire events and disasters…advanced industrial systems…and emerging technologies used in equipment and products are just a few of the challenges fire investigators and litigators face as they examine evidence and determine findings.

Thankfully, major updates in the 2008 NFPA 921 help you address today's challenges and provide you with vital facts and figures at your fingertips so that you can correctly determine origin and cause using state-of-the-art information!

The NFPA 921: Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations is the ultimate resource for conclusions and analyses that stand up to scrutiny. Utilized by fire service, law enforcement, and insurance professionals,  the NFPA 921 can also be used for various fire training programs.

Updates in this edition include:

•  Substantial changes in Chapter 5: Basic Fire Science reflects new research and developments in ignition and combustion principles, along with added technical details and clarified language.
  
• Rewritten Chapter 6: Fire Patterns clarifies the process investigators should use to identify and recognize fire effects and fire patterns.
  
• Revised Chapter 25: Motor Vehicle Fires addresses trends in vehicles. For example, this is the first edition of NFPA 921 to discuss electric/hybrid automobiles and their potential for high voltage hazards impacting investigators.
  
• Rewritten Chapter 27: Management of Complex Investigations (formerly Management of Major Investigations) offers a comprehensive, systems approach for dealing with complex incidents, such as those involving fatalities or injuries...fires in high-rises or building complexes...and fires or explosions in industrial plants or commercial properties.
  
• A new Chapter 28: Marine Fire Investigations provides first-time coverage of fire and explosion investigations involving recreational boats, including safety issues due to environmental contaminants, and protocols for investigators on boats afloat or underwater.

In addition, the 2008 NFPA 921 provides detailed, step-by-step guidelines that help you prepare complete and accurate reports. Actual examples and drawings clarify areas of confusion, so you avoid mistakes. And critical safety protocols address protection of personnel from multiple hazards present at the scene, during evidence collection and storage, at the laboratory, and during live fire testing. (Softbound, 305 pp., 2008)