ASSIGNMENT | Explain the fundamentals of forensic science as used in fire investigations.

Unit Assignments
Unit II Essay
For this assignment, please complete the following:
ï‚· Explain the fundamentals of forensic science as used in fire investigations.
ï‚· Define and explain the scientific method, along with the seven basic steps utilized in the systematic approach.
Your response should be a minimum of 700 words in length. You are required to use at least your textbook as source
material for your response. All sources used, including the textbook, must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted
material must have accompanying citations. All references and citations used must be in APA style.

SAMPLE SOLUTION

Forensic Science in Fire Investigations

Fire investigation entails the scrutiny of the different fire-related aspects immediately after the firefighters put out the fire.  Essentially, the approach is comparable to the exercise carried out in a crime scene in the sense that the scene must be secured and evidence gathered and examined. Once all the circumstantial evidence has been established, the process of examining the physical evidence commences. It is at this point that forensic science becomes instrumental in the investigation process.

A critical application of forensic science in the fire investigation process involves establishing the seat of the fire. Fire investigators employ different indicators to determine the probable point of origin of the fire. The point of origin refers to the smallest identifiable area. After figuring out the point of origin, forensic investigators focus on identifying components that could have functioned as a source of ignition: a flare, a campfire, or hunting ammunition. Each of the suspected objects must be tested to determine whether they are potential ignition sources for the fuels available (Houck & Jay, 2015). More fundamentally, forensic science is critical when dealing with suspected cases of arson. These cases are of particular significance to the forensic experts. Such occurrences may emerge for a number of reasons including terrorism…