COOL SCIENCE CAREERS

Fire
Investigator
 21st
Century
Skills Library

COOL SCIENCE CAREERS

Fire
Investigator

Ann Heinrichs

Cherry Lake Publishing

A n n A r b o r, M i c h i g a n
Published in the United States of America by Cherry Lake Publishing
Ann Arbor, Michigan
www.cherrylakepublishing.com

Content Adviser: Daniel J. Ellis, MS, IAAI-CFI, Evergreen Park Fire Department

Photo Credits: Cover and pages 1, 8, and 13, ©SHOUT/Alamy; pages 4 and 21,
©Peter Casolino/Alamy; page 6, ©Dale A. Stork, used under license from
Shutterstock, Inc.; page 14, ©Tom Grill, used under license from Shutterstock, Inc.;
page 17, ©Sylvia Cordaiy Photo Library Ltd/Alamy; page 19, ©Monkey Business
Images, used under license from Shutterstock, Inc.; page 24, ©RubberBall/Alamy;
page 27, ©Blend Images/Alamy

Copyright ©2009 by Cherry Lake Publishing

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any
form or by any means without written permission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Heinrichs, Ann.
Fire investigator / by Ann Heinrichs.
p. cm.—(Cool science careers)
Includes index.
ISBN-13: 978-1-60279-310-1
ISBN-10: 1-60279-310-7
1. Arson investigation—Juvenile literature. I. Title. II. Series.
TH9180.H45 2009
363.25'9642—dc22 2008029293

Cherry Lake Publishing would like to acknowledge the work of

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills.
Please visit www.21stcenturyskills.org for more information.
 Table of Contents

C H A P T E R O N E

Clues Among the Ashes 4

C H A P T E R T W O

Hunting Down the Evidence 13

C H A P T E R T H R E E

Learning the Territor y 19

C H A P T E R F O U R

The Future: Feeling the Heat 24

Some Famous Fire Investigators 29

Glossar y 30

For More Information 31

Index 32

About the Author 32

 CHAPTER ONE

Clues Among the Ashes

Working at a fire scene can be dangerous. Fire investigators often wear

hard hats to protect their heads while searching for clues.

Chris gazes across the smoldering rubble. Two families

once made their home on this site. Now all that remains is
a jumble of blackened memories—a bookcase here, a doll
there. Firefighters had rushed to the late-night blaze, sirens
screaming. They spent hours dousing the flames. Was it an
accident? Or did someone set the fire on purpose? Sorting

4 21st CENTURY SKILLS LIBRARY

through the debris, Chris spots a charred gasoline can. It
wasn’t just a fire. It was arson!
Chris is a fire investigator, a detective who investigates
how fires start. Arson is deliberately setting a fire that
destroys a building or other property. It’s a serious crime,
and it can be deadly serious. If someone dies in the blaze,
the offense is not just arson. It becomes murder.
Fire investigators such as Chris start to work as soon
as a fire has been put out. Using their investigative skills,
they find the origin and cause of the fire. They know how
flames travel from one place to another. That leads to
the fire’s area of origin. Then, studying the fire-damaged
remains, they figure out what started the blaze.
The investigator’s first task is to check for accidental
causes. Many things can start a fire by accident. It could
be lightning, careless smoking, or careless use of candles.
Maybe a stove exploded or a heater was too close to the

COOL SCIENCE CAREERS: Fire Investigator 5

 Many fires start in kitchens. Investigators use their skills to
determine whether or not a fire started accidentally.

curtains. The building may have had a gas leak or faulty

electrical wiring. Or maybe a child was playing with
matches. If the fire was an accident, it’s not arson.
After ruling out accidents, the fire investigator goes on
to look for other clues. Those clues may become valuable
evidence of a crime. Searching for clues is not often as

6 21st CENTURY SKILLS LIBRARY

easy as finding a gasoline can. Investigators may run across
some object the arsonist dropped or left behind, such as
glasses or a cigarette lighter. The smoke detector or fire
alarm might have been turned off. There might be traces
of an accelerant—a fuel, usually a liquid, that burns fast
and makes fire spread quickly. Suppose people died in the
fire. Why couldn’t they get out? This can lead to chilling
discoveries. The investigator may find blocked escape
routes or a locked bedroom door.
Next, fire investigators work with the police and other
law enforcement agencies to find a suspect. They question
people to find out who might have a motive. Why do
arsonists set fires? Many do it to get even with someone.
Some want to kill the residents or to cover up a murder
scene. Some commit arson as a hate crime against people
of a religious or ethnic group. And many arsonists are just
wild kids who set fires for a thrill.

COOL SCIENCE CAREERS: Fire Investigator 7

 In an arson investigation, anything can become evidence—even ashes.

One common motive for arson is insurance fraud.

Most property owners buy insurance on their homes or
businesses. If the building is damaged or destroyed, the
insurance company pays the owner to make up for the
loss. A property owner who needs money might burn his
own building to collect on the insurance.

8 21st CENTURY SKILLS LIBRARY

 Investigating a fire can take months. The investigator
gathers information at the scene, runs tests, interviews
witnesses, and follows leads. Finally, when all the
information is in, the investigator writes up a report.
After someone is charged with arson and arrested, the
investigator testifies at the trial as an expert witness.
How do fire investigators know what they know?
Traditionally, they have relied on experience. They gained
practical knowledge as they sifted through the ashes. When
they trained others, they passed on their knowledge by
word of mouth. With years of experience, each investigator
developed his or her own insights into the telltale signs of
arson. Many of those insights proved true over time. But
others have been challenged by scientific research.
Fire research took a big leap forward in the 1980s.
Scientist John DeHaan began conducting tests on fire
behavior. He built full-scale test fires and analyzed what

COOL SCIENCE CAREERS: Fire Investigator 9

 ife happened. Scientists also
Career&

Skills began to understand flashovers.

Scientific fire training can be a real
eye-opener—especially for those A flashover occurs when
who have relied on long-held beliefs
about fire behavior. For example, heat and gases from a fire
one common belief is that, because
heat rises, fires burn upward. But
build up in an enclosed area.
evidence proves that a fire can also
Suddenly the whole area
burn downward from a ceiling.
Another belief is that fires set with ignites. Flashovers create some
accelerants produce a hotter flame.
But tests have shown that wood and of the same burn patterns
gasoline burn at about the same
temperature. Crazed glass, or finely once believed to be signs of
cracked glass, was once seen as the
result of a super-hot accelerant fire. arson. These developments
But experiments show that crazed
glass is caused by rapid cooling— provided valuable scientific
such as when water from a fire hose
hits the glass! Smoke color, flaking facts for fire investigators.
concrete, greasy windows, and
white ashes have all been rejected
Still, some investigators stood
as definite indicators of arson. The
by their traditional ways of
best fire investigators understand
the need to keep up with advances detecting arson.
in scientific knowledge. They take
advantage of opportunities to Then some judges began
increase their knowledge and skills.
overturning arson convictions.

10 21st CENTURY SKILLS LIBRARY

Armed with new scientific information, lawyers were
able to raise serious questions about investigators’
conclusions. Fire investigators were accused of using “junk
science” instead of real science. This led to a greater push
for scientific investigation. In 1992, the National Fire
Protection Association (NFPA) issued NFPA 921: Guide
for Fire and Explosion Investigation. Updated every 3 or 4
years, it became the basic handbook for fire investigations.
At the same time, computer modeling was becoming
an important investigation tool. Scientists developed
computer software that could model, or duplicate, fire
behavior. Computer fire models can reconstruct actual
fires and show how they grow and spread. They calculate
temperature, smoke development, flame spreading, time
to flashover, and other conditions.
Once again, the court system put more pressure on
fire investigators. In the 1993 U.S. Supreme Court case

COOL SCIENCE CAREERS: Fire Investigator 11

 Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, the court
ruled that expert witnesses’ testimony must be based on
reliable methods.
The Daubert ruling unleashed a flurry of debate among
fire investigators. That debate is still going on today.
Investigators with decades of hands-on experience feel
their opinions are valid. Others believe scientific evidence
is the only way to keep innocent people from going to
jail. Many investigators say that the best fire investigation
combines both science and practical knowledge. That
may be true. But scientific evidence will surely carry more
weight in the courtroom as time goes on.

12 21st CENTURY SKILLS LIBRARY

 CHAPTER TWO

Hunting Down the Evidence

Investigators wear masks to block out dust and other

particles that could be harmful to inhale.

Fire investigation can be long, hard, dirty work.

Investigators spend hours rooting around in the rubble
that used to be someone’s home or business. They risk
their lives, too. Some investigators have fallen to their
death through unstable floors and stairways. In spite of the

COOL SCIENCE CAREERS: Fire Investigator 13

 Lab technicians and other experts analyze evidence from fires.
They are an important part of an arson investigation team.

dangers, fire investigators are dedicated to their job. They

want to hunt down evidence and help capture arsonists.
Weather and time don’t stop an investigation. Fire
investigators work night or day. They work in all kinds
of weather, from freezing cold to sweltering heat. They
may arrive on the scene when a fire is still blazing. Even

14 21st CENTURY SKILLS LIBRARY

after the flames have died down, heat, smoke, and sparks
may still be hazards. So investigators might need to use
protective gear such as respirators, safety goggles, and
fireproof coats, pants, gloves, and boots. As they climb
through mountains of rubble, they may have to lift heavy
objects out of the way.
Collecting evidence is a big part of the job. Fire
investigators dig through debris and carefully remove
burned remains of carpeting, flooring, furniture, and
other materials. Then they number each item, package
the materials, and send them to a forensic lab. There,
forensic scientists test them for traces of accelerants and
other chemicals. They may also test for fingerprints. Any
containers for gasoline, alcohol, or lighter fluid are also
sent to the lab. So are any objects the arsonist may have
left behind. It can be hard to sort out real evidence from
worthless scraps.

COOL SCIENCE CAREERS: Fire Investigator 15

 earning Investigators also take photos or
I &
nnovation
Skills videos of fire scenes. Sometimes they
Sparky sniffs his way
through the ashes. study blueprints of a burned building
Suddenly he signals by
sitting and pointing his
to see where rooms, doors, closets,
nose at a scrap of wood.
and stairs used to be. They might even
It’s soaked with gasoline!
His handler—a fire reconstruct the fire scene to figure out
investigator—says, “Good
boy!” and gives him a what happened. To do this, they build a
treat. Sparky is an arson
dog. He’s been trained full-sized model of a room, set it on fire,
to sniff out accelerants
used to start fires. Like and study how the fire develops.
most arson dogs, Sparky
is a Labrador retriever, Interviews are another big part of
or Lab for short. This
breed is good at sorting the job. The investigator questions the
out the many scents at
a fire scene. Labs are
property owner, family, friends, and
also friendly and easily
neighbors. Do they know of anyone
trained. The dog and its
handler train together. who might have a motive for setting the
They work as a team on
arson investigations. blaze? Did anyone see suspicious people
or activities in the area? The property
owners themselves must be checked

16 21st CENTURY SKILLS LIBRARY

 Trained arson dogs can smell traces of accelerants, even if they
have been diluted by water used to put out the flames.

out, too. Do they have a motive for harming or killing the

residents? Are they in financial trouble? Is their business
failing? Investigators get information from insurance
companies and banks to help answer these questions.
After gathering information, the investigator writes up
a report. It includes basic details such as the date, time,
and location of the fire. Also included is an evidence list,

COOL SCIENCE CAREERS: Fire Investigator 17

 along with the results of lab tests. There is information
about building damage, injuries or deaths, witnesses, and
suspects. Photos and videos are attached.
The fire investigator’s report goes to the police, the
fire chief, and the property owner. If enough evidence
points to a suspect, the police make an arrest. Then the
investigator works with attorneys, going over details of the
report. Finally, the investigator testifies at the arson trial.
Many different investigators may take part in an arson
case. City fire departments and police departments have
fire investigators. In many states, the state fire marshal
has its own investigators. Sometimes they are joined by
investigators from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Insurance companies hire
fire investigators, too. All these people work together to solve
the case. Sometimes they help bring an arsonist to justice.
In other cases, they help set an innocent person free.

18 21st CENTURY SKILLS LIBRARY

 CHAPTER THREE

Learning the Territory

What are some skills that firefighters could carry

over into a career as a fire investigator?

Would you like to be a fire investigator? Get ready for

a long haul. There is no quick and easy way to walk into
this career!
Most fire investigators start out working as firefighters
or law enforcement officers. Almost no one becomes a fire
investigator without experience in one of these fields. You
might begin your career path by working as a volunteer
firefighter. Then you’ll start to understand how fires behave.

COOL SCIENCE CAREERS: Fire Investigator 19

 If you’re interested in this career, you would enroll in your
state or local fire training academy to become a firefighter.
After working as a firefighter for a while, you may find
that fire investigation appeals to you. In most states, the
state fire marshal or state fire commission offers programs
that train firefighters to be investigators. The requirements
for enrolling vary by state. Usually a firefighter must have
at least 5 years’ experience on the job. College courses in
fire science or criminal justice are often required, too.
Future law enforcement officers get their training
through the local police academy. Like firefighters, they
may work in law enforcement for a few years before
deciding to specialize in fire investigation. Then they may
take the same state training program offered to firefighters.
Some fire investigators start their careers as fire
protection engineers. Though it isn’t necessary, many
fire protection engineers have experience in fighting

20 21st CENTURY SKILLS LIBRARY

 At a fire academy, students learn about fires and ways to put them out.

fires. They learn about fire behavior in their college

studies. The University of Maryland, Oklahoma State
University, the University of California at Berkeley, and
Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts all have
highly respected fire protection engineering programs.
Because courts are becoming more demanding, it can
be wise to enroll in a nationally recognized certification

COOL SCIENCE CAREERS: Fire Investigator 21

 earning program. Two private organizations
I &
nnovation
Skills certify people as fire investigators.
Every year, more than 70,000
fires rage across millions of One is the International Association
acres of forestland. According
to the National Interagency
of Arson Investigators (IAAI). It offers
Fire Center, lightning causes
a Certified Fire Investigator (CFI)
about 16 percent of these fires,
which account for almost 70
program. The National Association
percent of the wildland burned
each year. The rest are caused of Fire Investigators (NAFI) offers
by carelessness and arson.
In some ways, investigating a Certified Fire and Explosion
forest fires is similar to investigating
building fires. Investigators Investigator program. It uses NFPA
interview witnesses to find out
about motives or suspicious people 921 as a training manual.
and activities. But evidence in forest
fires presents special challenges. After completing one of these
For example, burn patterns appear
on trees and stones instead of
programs, some people stay with
floors and walls. The National
their local fire or police departments.
Wildfire Coordinating Group
(NWCG) decided that standards
Others go to work for companies that
were needed specifically for
investigating forest fires. In 2001, investigate fires, arsons, and explosions.
it developed a training program
that leads to certification as a Insurance companies hire investigators
Wildland Fire Investigator (WFI).
from companies like these.

22 21st CENTURY SKILLS LIBRARY

 Certain national government agencies also provide
training in fire investigation. For example, the U.S. Fire
Administration’s National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg,
Maryland, has fire investigation courses. The Federal Bureau
of Investigation (FBI) offers arson training at its academy in
Quantico, Virginia. And the ATF conducts a CFI program for
its own employees, as well as state and local fire investigators.
Certification programs cover a wide range of subjects.
Students learn about such things as fire chemistry and
behavior, fire stages from beginning to flashover, fire scene
analysis, burn patterns, and computerized fire modeling.
Information about hazardous materials, explosives, car fires,
and electrical fires may be covered, too. There are courses on
collecting and handling evidence, photographing fire scenes,
interviewing witnesses, writing reports, and testifying at trials.
All of this knowledge leads toward one goal—removing
dangerous arsonists from the community.

COOL SCIENCE CAREERS: Fire Investigator 23

 CHAPTER FOUR

The Future: Feeling

the Heat

Good communication skills are important when fire investigators testify

in court. They must be able to clearly explain their findings.

Fire investigators are feeling the heat. Often their expert

testimony is the key to convicting an arsonist. But courts
continue to raise the standards for expert witnesses.
Investigators are expected to back up their testimony with
scientific principles. Their conclusions must be based on

24 21st CENTURY SKILLS LIBRARY

experiments that can be repeated with the same results.
Otherwise, a court might not accept their testimony.
Clearly, investigators of the future will need more training
in science-based skills.
Training methods are already becoming more
high-tech. One new training tool is the interFIRE-VR
system. (VR stands for virtual reality). Arson investigators
can use interFIRE-VR on a laptop computer in their local
offices. Through virtual reality, they analyze a fire scene,
collect evidence, interview witnesses, draw conclusions,
and present the case at a trial. The system prompts the
user to draw on all possible sources of information in the
investigation. CFITrainer.net is a Web site that offers online
training in a variety of subjects related to fire investigation.
Fire research is heading in many new directions.
Researchers are now working on a system in which
investigators can take digital photos of the fire scene and

COOL SCIENCE CAREERS: Fire Investigator 25

 21Century
st
load them into a laptop computer. Then
Content they mark out the fire damage and burn
About 31,000 buildings
patterns. The marked images are sent
were intentionally set
on fire in 2006,
by satellite to a computer site where the
according to the U.S.
Fire Administration information is analyzed. The computer
(USFA). These arsons
resulted in about sends back many possible versions of
$755 million worth of
property loss. That is one what could have caused the fire. The
reason why insurance
companies are so investigator would examine each version
interested in investigating
arsons. Here’s more food and decide which fits the scene best.
for thought. According
to the FBI, about half the
Computer fire modeling is becoming
people arrested for arson
more complex all the time. One new
in 2003 were under
the age of 18. Can you
development is the Fire Dynamics
think of reasons why
so many young people Simulator (FDS). Like many other models,
commit arson? Consider
this information, too: it reconstructs a fire scene and displays it
The USFA reports that
arson fires tend to peak on a computer screen. But FDS goes much
around holidays such as
New Year’s, July 4, farther. It divides a room or building into
and Halloween.
thousands of separate cells, along with

26 21st CENTURY SKILLS LIBRARY

 Computers are very helpful tools for fire investigators. They can
help experts determine the cause and behavior of a fire.

walls, floors, furniture, and other objects there. For each

cell, FDS shows the temperature, burn rate, and other fire
conditions in that exact location. This shows investigators
how the fire grew and spread.
Forensic labs are also improving their methods of testing
for accelerants. Sometimes two different labs come up
with different results. One finds the presence of accelerants

COOL SCIENCE CAREERS: Fire Investigator 27

 on a material, while the other one doesn’t. Scientists are
developing new testing methods that are more efficient than
ever. They separate the chemicals in a material and identify
those that are accelerants. In the future, these methods will
become standard practices for all forensic labs.
Field testing is another wave of the future. Investigators
will be able to take portable forensic labs right to the
fire scene. Then they can test materials for accelerants
immediately.
The ATF opened its Fire Research Laboratory in Beltsville,
Maryland, in 2002. It conducts scientific research on
reconstructing fire scenes and analyzing evidence. The lab
hopes to establish scientific standards that any court will
accept. This would be a giant step forward. It would give fire
investigators the hard-core tools they need in the courtroom.
Then it will be the arsonists who are feeling the heat.

28 21st CENTURY SKILLS LIBRARY

 Some Famous Fire Investigators

6YTENIS6YTO "ABRAUSKAS¯ was the first person to earn a doctoral degree

in fire protection engineering. He is a physicist and fire scientist who invented the cone
calorimeter. It’s now the primary instrument for determining how fast objects such as
furniture burn. Babrauskas has also done important research on the deadly gases released
in fires.

*OHN$E(AAN¯ has conducted extensive research on the behavior and effects of

fires. He wrote the updated book Kirk’s Fire Investigation, the most widely used textbook on
the subject.

'ERALD(URST¯ is a chemist and fire consultant who investigates fire origins

and causes in arson cases. An opponent of nonscientific investigation, he often testifies
in arson trials.

0AUL+IRK¯ published Fire Investigation in 1969. As the first science-based

text on fire investigation, it ushered in the scientific investigation of fires.

*OHN,ENTINI¯ is a nationally known fire researcher and arson expert who wrote
Scientific Protocols for Fire Investigation. As an expert witness, Lentini has helped many
people falsely accused of arson to prove their innocence.

*AMES'1UINTIERE¯ is a fire researcher and safety engineer. He worked in

the Fire Science and Engineering Division of NIST and is currently on the faculty of
the Department of Fire Protection Engineering at the University of Maryland. He has
investigated many fire disasters and is the author of many books and journal articles on
fire investigation.

COOL SCIENCE CAREERS: Fire Investigator 29

 Glossary

ACCELERANTAK 3%,, UR UNT a fuel, usually a liquid, that burns rapidly and makes fires
spread quickly; common accelerants include gasoline, alcohol, and paint thinner

BLUEPRINTS",// PRINTS drawings of a building’s layout, with white lines on a blue

background

CERTIFICATIONSUR TUH FIH +!9 SHUN an official declaration that someone has passed
certain tests or achieved a certain standard

DEBRISDUH "2%% fragments of something that has been destroyed or broken

EVIDENCE%6 UH DUHNSS things that suggest or prove a fact

EXPERTWITNESS%+ SPURT7)4 NISS someone with special knowledge or skills who

testifies at a trial

FORENSICLABFUH 2%. ZIK,!" a place with the equipment and conditions for doing
scientific studies on crime-related materials (lab is short for laboratory)

FRAUD&2!7$ obtaining money by deceiving someone

IGNITESIG .)4%3 catches fire

MOTIVE-/( TIV a person’s reason for doing something

RESEARCH2%% SURCH detailed scientific study and testing

SUSPECT353 PEKT someone believed to be guilty of wrongdoing

VIRTUALREALITY652 CHOO UHLREE !, UH TEE a computer technique using a three-

dimensional scene with which people can interact

30 21st CENTURY SKILLS LIBRARY

 For More Information

Books

Ford, Jean. Explosives and Arson Investigation.

Philadelphia: Mason Crest Publishers, 2006.

Harmon, Daniel E. Careers in Explosives and Arson

Investigation. New York: Rosen Central, 2008.

Latham, Donna. Fire Dogs. New York: Bearport Publishing, 2005.

Stewart, Gail B. Arson. Detroit: Lucent Books, 2006.

Websites

ArsonDog.org
www.arsondog.org/shared/news_art1.asp
For more information about arson dogs

Fire Safety
www.dos.state.ny.us/kidsroom/firesafe/firesafe.html
Learn more about fire safety and arson dogs

SmokeyBear.com—Get Your Smokey On

www.smokeybear.com
Click on the Smokey Kids link for games, stories, and other
fun ways to learn about wildfire prevention

USFA Kids
www.usfa.dhs.gov/kids/flash.shtm
Visit this U.S. Fire Administration site to learn more about fire safety

COOL SCIENCE CAREERS: Fire Investigator 31

 Index
accelerants, 7, 10, 15, 16, experience, 9, 12, 19, 20–21 National Fire Academy, 23
27–28 expert testimony, 9, 12, 23, National Fire Protection
accidental causes, 5–6 24–25 Association (NFPA), 11,
arrests, 9, 14, 18, 26. See also 22, 25
Federal Bureau of
convictions. National Interagency
Investigation (FBI), 23
arson, 5, 6–9, 10, 14, 15, 16, Fire Center, 22
field testing, 28
18, 22, 23, 24, 26 National Wildfire
Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS),
arson dogs, 16 Coordinating Group
26–27 (NWCG), 22
blueprints, 16 firefighters, 4, 19–20 NFPA 921: Guide for
burn patterns, 10, 22, 23, 26 fire protection engineers, 20–21 Fire and Explosion
Fire Research Laboratory, 28
certification, 21–22, 23 Investigation, 11, 22
flashovers, 10, 11, 23
Certified Fire and Explosion forensic labs, 15, 27, 28 photos, 16, 18, 23, 26
Investigator program, 22 forest fires, 22 protective gear, 15
Certified Fire Investigator (CFI) fraud, 8
program, 22, 23, 25 reconstructions, 11, 16, 27, 28
clues, 6–7 hate crimes, 7 reports, 9, 17–18, 23
computerized fire modeling, 11, research, 9–10, 11, 26, 28
insurance companies, 8, 17,
23, 26–27
18, 22, 26 scientific research, 9–10, 11,
conclusions, 11, 24–25
interFIRE-VR system, 25 12, 24–25, 26–28
convictions, 10, 24. See also
International Association of
arrests. U.S. Bureau of Alcohol,
Arson Investigators (IAAI),
courts, 11–12, 21–22, 24, Tobacco, Firearms and
22, 25
25, 28 Explosives (ATF), 18, 23, 28
interviews, 9, 16–17, 22,
crazed glass, 10 U.S. Fire Administration (USFA),
23, 25
23, 26
dangers, 13–14, 15
law enforcement agencies, 7, U.S. Supreme Court, 11–12
Daubert v. Merrell Dow
18, 20, 22
Pharmaceuticals, 12 videos, 16, 18
lawyers, 11, 18
debris,4– 5, 15 virtual reality, 25, 26
DeHaan, John, 9–10 motive, 7–8, 16, 17, 22
weather, 14
murder, 5, 7
education, 9, 19–22, 23, 25 Wildland Fire Investigators
evidence, 6, 10, 12, 14, 15, National Association of Fire (WFI), 22
17, 18, 22, 23, 25, 28 Investigators (NAFI), 22

About the Author

!NN(EINRICHSis the author of more than 200 books
for children and young adults. They cover U.S. and
world history and culture, science and nature, and
English grammar. Ann has also enjoyed careers as a
children’s book editor and an advertising copywriter. An
avid traveler, she has toured Europe, Africa, the Middle
East, and East Asia. Born in Fort Smith, Arkansas, she
now lives in Chicago. She enjoys biking, kayaking,
and flying kites.

32 21st CENTURY SKILLS LIBRARY

 21st
Century
Skills Library
Fire investigators are among the first people to arrive at the scene of a fire. These
special experts examine a site to find out if a fire was an accident or arson. Look inside
to find out more about how fire investigators uncover clues and use science to solve fire
mysteries.
The Cool Science Careers series introduces readers to interesting and important
science careers for the 21st century. Other titles in the series include:
• Architect • Forensic Science • Robot Scientist
• Crime Scene Investigator • Sound Engineer
Investigator • Nanotechnologist • Storm Chaser
• Cyber Cop • Public Health • Volcanologist
• Forensic Psychologist Microbiologist
To guide your reading, look for these notes that will help build the understanding
and skills you’ll need in the 21st century. Look for the following margin notes:

Learning & Innovation Skills

You need to learn about lots of things, but you also need to learn how to
learn. These notes give you hints about how to use what you know in better
and more creative ways.

21 st Centur y Content
You study reading, math, science, and social studies. You also need to
learn about the world of work and your community. These notes tell you
about business and money. They also give you ideas about how you can
help yourself, your community, and the world.

Life & Career Skills

These notes tell you about skills you will use throughout your life. They give
you ideas about how to work well with others, make good decisions, and
achieve your goals in life.

ISBN 978-1-60279-310-1

9 781602 793101