Customer Reviews

Kirk's Fire Investigation (6th Edition)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is considered the "bible" (not to offend and religious folks) of fire investigation. It is jam packed with information however it is not an easy book to read as it "strictly business and to the point." It is a must have for the fire investigator along with NFPA 921. I do suggest brushing up on your chemistry and having a printed copy of the periodic table of elements handy when utilizing this book so you can get a better understanding of the text and tables.

The latest Kirks is much more in line with the 921. This is great for test-takers that are studying for certification, CEU's etc. Was very confusing to study such varying differences in information. The 6th edition and recent revision of 921 are now an easier mesh.

I am only half way through this book, but I wanted to share what I have found so far. The edition has been revised and there is a new one out, so I expect few people will actually read this book any more. Any how, I am because it is cheaper than the newest copy. There is one thing that continues to bother me through out the book. That is the lack of standard in talking about temperatures. One time they use Celsius, and the next it is Fahrenheit and they change it around a lot, and an example would look like this... xxxxxxxx.... 500 c (600F) and then xxxxxxx... 600 F (500C). My mind thinks only in Fahrenheit and so I am always looking for it. If it was in the same place each time, it would be much easier to read for me. Temperature ranges are a big part of this book in what it talks about so that is why it gets so annoying to me. So if you are looking for a book on fire investigation, it is written by a well established and known author who uses good solid sources for his information. Other than the sources referenced for this book, I can't imagine a better source for this type of information. Bear in mind this is limited in scope. It can't go deep in to the chemistry of fire and explain how each atom molecule shares electrons and breaks down for the chemical fire chain reaction. But it gives you a lot to think about too, if you aren't a chemist.

A must read for understanding how fires are rated, studied, written up and started. This book is hard to read but if you work this industry or related, you start to understand how fraud plays a role and why more claims are studied.

Easy read, good pictures, and standard for fire forensics. In an afternoon I was able to understand the mechanisms of fire origins. Mandatory companion is NFPA 921.

I think this book will be a great reference book. I have an engineering background but find the material new and interesting from my previous studies. The book includes plenty of great references to experiments and research in case something comes up with an investigation. Lots of info and decent price. One downside is that most pictures are black and white, instead of full color (except diagrams). However, they included a new set of colored photos in the middle. I rather would have liked them to just print the orignal pictures in color.

The book is very valuable, especially for those working in the field of investigation of fires and I advise any person employed in the investigation of fires and explosives have a copy of it. It explains all the points on in the fire. In the end, I would like to say about the book, it is comprehensive book in the investigation of fires.

This book is informative, if you know what you're doing. And if you know what you were doing, why do you need the book?

However, although I've been purchasing various items through amazon for quite a while now, I did not read the procedures fully and I received 2 - orders of this Kirks Book due to my own mistake. I purchased one from the amazon marketplace and then went to my shopping cart to add another item - and did so. Somehow, through the process I did a one-click order through amazon and also did another order through the marketplace. It worked out fine since a co-worker - friend needed the same book, but I did learn to read the directions thoroughly before ordering. Also, i've never quite understood the "Free Shipping" offers - I guess I'll have to read that better, too!