Canadian Criminal Evidence/Model Examinations/Fire Experts

Fire Chief or Fire Marshall
The fire chief or fire marshall is a member of a fire department who is trained in analysing fires and their causes.

Qualification

 * employed with a regional fire department / position of fire chief or similar
 * duration of employment
 * education and training relevant to analysing fires / degree, certificates, or licences received
 * type of work that he or she does relevant to analysing fires
 * past experience as an expert witness / whether he or she was qualified in the past

Foundation of Opinion

 * on, the expert attended the scene of a fire at ;
 * time of arrival
 * state of scene and structure when arriving / whether any observable signs of ongoing fire
 * method that the fire was extinguished
 * whether photographs were taken / diagrams made / enter as exhibit and review with witness
 * time of entering / inspecting the scene (may have had to wait for safety reasons)
 * extent of examination / areas examined
 * notable observations:
 * possible site of origin of fire
 * observable burn patterns on inside (e.g. floor, wall, or ceiling) or outside (e.g. walls, roof, neighbouring structures)
 * discovered any items relevant to fire (accelerants, etc.) / seized by police

Opinion
Ask for an opinion with reasons for each of the following points:


 * location of fire's origin (inside vs outside, region of origin) / anything notable about region
 * cause of fire
 * source of fire's oxygen (usually source from outside)
 * whether accelerants were involved / notable signs of "spalling" (strong concentrations of burning)
 * speed of fire's progression / manner in which it would have progressed / where fire went
 * how the fire started / what was ignition
 * likelihood of source being electrical malfunctioning
 * likelihood of caused by accident or negligence such as discarded cigarettes or stove left on
 * likelihood of purely natural causes (lightening)
 * likelihood of a person would have started it intentionally