Price, Bill C. and Bagley, Patrick M. Computer Connection for Fire Investigation. National Fire and Arson Report. Vol. 13, No. 2.

Abstract: This article explains how the laptop computer has revolutionized the field of fire investigation. While en route to the scene, the investigator can request ownership information of the structure burned and receive the owner's name and previous history, if any, while at the fire scene. The information can be sent electronically along with a list of neighbors for interviewing and their phone numbers included. At the scene, an investigator can send his preliminary report to the office, which can check several databases for information regarding the case. Any information found can then immediately be sent back to the investigator while still at the scene. This information can help the investigator decide what needs further examining.

With a digital camera, an investigator can photograph the scene and send the pictures via e-mail to a lab for analysis. These results are also accessible at the fire scene through a laptop computer and inform the investigator whether he has the cause of fire or not. A laptop computer also allows the investigator store, organize, and access, all of his notes quickly and easily.