Fire dynamics and fire modeling are tools that can be used by an investigator to develop a technically defensible analysis of the fire incident. This presentation will provide an introduction into the principle concepts of fire dynamics, fire modeling and how these techniques can be used in investigations. Several case studies will be examined to demonstrate the capabilities and limitations of both physical and computational fire modeling. The impact of fuel composition, fuel geometry, compartmentation and ventilation on fire development and the resulting physical damage to structures will also be discussed.

Fire model examples using physical experiments, hand calculations, "zone models" and the NIST Fire Dynamics Simulator and Smokeview models will be presented. This module will also include a discussion on the type of information and material that should be collected at the scene in order to use modeling, a discussion of the uncertainties in the models, and methods for evaluating the model results.