Fire Investigation Methods

Each student is required to complete a descriptive research report, in APA format,
which addresses the following items:
 Discuss – in general scope – investigation techniques utilized for investigating
vehicle firs.
 Identify and discuss potential ignition sources associated with vehicle fires.
 Discuss the process of documenting motor vehicle fire scenes.
 Provide a meaningful conclusion that summarizes your work.
* Use Times New Roman font size 12 for this assignment.
* Use the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association [APA],
6
th edition as reference to complete the class project.

* Never plagiarize! Submit your own work! Paraphrase and site the author.
Take the following steps to complete this assignment:
1. Access one or more of the libraries listed below and identify a minimum of one
reference (more is better) that include materials describing the investigation practices
associated with vehicle fires. You may also use Internet resources or other publications
for this assignment. However, Wikipedia is not an acceptable resource for use in this
course.
Eastern Gateway Community College
Fire Science Program
 Eastern Gateway Community College Library
https://egcc.edu/library/
 National Emergency Training Center Library
https://www.usfa.fema.gov/data/library/
 University of Illinois – Fire Service Institute
https://www.fsi.illinois.edu/content/library/
2. Read Chapter 25 of the course textbook.
3. Review the Lesson 14 Power Point Presentation.
4. Review the supplemental artifacts provided in Lesson 14
5. Conduct additional research as you deem appropriate.
6. Review and study the information you have collected through your research.
7. Write a descriptive research paper which provides a meaningful conclusion and/or
summary that is based on the material presented in the body of your work. This
descriptive research paper/article must include all of the following:
 Title Page: The title page should conform to APA style and format. “A title should
summarize the main idea of the paper simply and, if possible, with style”. (Use
sample title page provided in the course content).
 Introduction. The introduction must be no more than two paragraphs and must
define the topic. The introduction discusses the purpose and scope of your work.
 Literature Review: A minimum of one (1) and a maximum of two (2) pages review of
the literature. This is where you provide information about the topic. Do not
editorialize, rationalize, or make judgments about the material. Just report (review)
what you found in the literature. (This section follows your one or two paragraph
introduction with no “white-space” between the two. You should begin to use level
one, two, and three headings, refer to the APA Guide (page 62) for additional
details.
 Conclusion and/or Recommendation: The Conclusion and/or recommendation
section should be a minimum of 1 paragraph. The Conclusion and/or
Recommendation section is where you use your thoughts and ideas on the subject
explored, combined with what you have learned from your sources, to make a
statement of conclusion and/or make recommendations. Most of the conclusion
should be in your own words (but use 3rd person) and should express knowledge of
the subject. However, do not personalize your writing (never use first person, I, we,
you, etc.). Your writing must be professional in nature, must not ramble or
generalize, must address the topic, and must provide specifics. Include in-text
citations where appropriate.
It is very important to relate the conclusions to your academic major (fire service) or
profession. Try to include examples as to how what you have written about relates to
the major.
 Reference Page: The Reference Page should list all of the sources used to support
your work. The Reference Page should be formatted in accordance with APA
requirements. Remember, each entry on the Reference Page must have
corresponding in-text citation. Use a minimum of one reference, which may be your
textbook.
8. Review these resources for assistance with APA writing requirements for this course
and program:
o Eastern Gateway Community College Library
https://egcc.edu/library/
o Purdue University – Purdue Online Writing Lab
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_style_introducti
on.html
o American Psychological Association – Academic Writer
https://digitallearning.apa.org/academicwriter?_ga=2.257345803.1408811350.1562421940-995306367.1562421940
o Samuel Forlenza – Title Page, Running Head, Abstract, and Section Headings

o Purdue University – Online Wring Lab: