Study of packaging and contamination of fire debris exhibits

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Arson, or "the crime of maliciously and intentionally, or recklessly, starting a fire or causing an explosion," is**one of the most challenging crimes to investigate. By their very nature, fires consume materials at the scene,**and will obscure or destroy evidence. Investigation is further complicated by firefighters spraying water and/or**foams on the scene and the movements of rescue personnel, which can spread evidence from its origin to other**locations throughout the scene.**One of the key pieces of chemical evidence in suspected arsons is the identification of foreign ignitable liquids**(e.g. gasoline) at the scene. This is accomplished by using investigative techniques to identify important**regions of the fire scene from which to take samples. Once samples are collected, they are transported to a**laboratory for analysis.**Global Forensics (GF) is an Albertan company providing a range of forensic investigative services in both**civil and criminal matters, most notably in the area of fires and explosions. In the context of fire investigations,**they see system-wide issues with the contamination of evidence and evidence containers. This research project**aims to identify relevant sources of contamination and develop best practices for preventing contamination,**thus ensuring the integrity of samples and investigations. These practices will then become part of the fire**investigation training courses that Global Forensics provides.