The Alaskan environment poses truly unique challenges for fire investigators on a regular basis. Investigators encounter weather conditions not duplicated in many places in the world. We operate in freezing temperatures roughly eight months out of the year with extreme temperatures ranging from -20 F to -45 F. Coupled with long hours of darkness ̶ up to 19 hours a day during the winter solstice ̶ these temperature extremes cause a multitude of problems for fire investigators and equipment alike.
In many ways, performing a fire investigation in cold weather is no different than in warm weather. 温度是零下40华氏度还是80华氏度以上, 必须采取NFPA 921中规定的相同步骤并遵循相同的程序. 然而, 严寒, heavy snowfalls and dangerous ice build-up makes everything more complicated and time-consuming – from accessing a scene to traveling to and from a location via airplane. This can lead to frustration and poor decision-making on the part of the investigator. The following are some of the challenges faced when investigating fires in Alaska.
设备的有效性，可用性和成本
在阿拉斯加的大部分地区，设备的使用是一个问题. 而大多数火灾现场挖掘设备在主要社区都是可用的, 从简单的手工工具到更大的挖掘机, the availability of some equipment is limited or non-existent in more remote communities. 在较小的社区, 比如Utqiagvik/Barrow, 重型设备必须用船运进来, 在冬季的几个月里，哪些是具有挑战性的.
寒冷天气对设备的影响是另一个令人担忧的问题. 极度寒冷降低了设备的效率, 尤其是手电筒和相机等电子产品. 设备必须预热以保持运转. Moreover, very few heavy equipment operators keep their equipment indoors during the winter. Most equipment will be parked outside in mid-to-late October and will not be started until mid-to-late April. The companies that actually keep equipment ready need time to deploy the equipment.
与设备相关的成本往往会变得昂贵. For example, large fresh air heaters are effective but somewhat costly to operate. Having a 1 m BTU heater at a fire scene for roughly 8 hours uses about 32 gallons of fuel. 现在取暖油的价格是5美元.每加仑65美元，仅燃料的供暖成本就约为180美元. Then add in the costs for renting and moving the heater as well as the costs associated with having a contractor or restoration company set up a tent over the structure or cover windows to keep heat in.
健康与安全调查员
Working in the arctic can be dangerous, therefore, investigator health and safety is paramount. 如NFPA 921所述, 第十三章(安全), the fire ground atmosphere encountered as part of our normal work changes rapidly, 可能包含呼吸道危害的组合, 并可能直接危及生命和健康.
Specifically, access to fire scenes is more challenging and creates a new level of safety concerns. The arctic weather conditions can produce anywhere from 2-5 inches of ice or 2-5 feet of snow, making the simple task of doing a 360 degree walk around the scene an arduous effort. 天气也有助于创造产生隐患的条件, 比如洞, 萧条和停电.
火灾现场的安全也取决于结构, 火灾和灭火工作的各个方面. Heavy snow loads and significant ice build-up on already structurally compromised buildings may weaken the structure creating a precarious and dangerous situation. 取决于用了多少水, 灭火工作可能会在现场造成结冰问题, 增加滑倒的可能性, 当调查者在不平坦的路面上行走时被绊倒, 冻, 光滑的表面. 软, 毛茸茸的, 玻璃纤维保温棒也可以冻成冰, 能轻易割伤调查员的尖锐物体.
此外，在火灾现场工作时，彩宝网平台还要与冬季装备作斗争. 保暖是必须的, 然而, the cold temperatures in combination with many layers of clothing makes it difficult to move around and do our job. Things like thick winter gloves make it challenging to grab and hold on to items. Using a shovel, rake, pry bar or ax can become a safety issue if you can’t hold on to it.
最后, 寒冷的影响使人身心俱疲, 使疲劳成为调查人员的一个严重问题. 观察彩宝网平台的工作-休息周期和保持水分是非常重要的. 使用工作-休息循环也有助于保持设备的温暖和功能.
记录、收集和恢复证据
收集 evidence and documenting a scene in cold temperatures presents a number of obstacles. We use a lot of modern technology, like recorders, iPads, digital cameras and scanners. But rudimentary tasks like writing with a pen can be problematic in cold temperatures. 可见性是另一个问题. 一般情况下，火灾现场需要使用人工照明. 但是如果长时间没有日光，事情就变得复杂了.
“冰雾”是阿拉斯加调查人员面临的一个独特难题. 由细小的冰晶组成的, 当气温降至零下30度以下时，就会形成冰雾, 能见度降至零. 异常强烈的逆温(i.e., 下面的冷空气, milder air above) that develop during arctic winters are perfect for ice fog formation but are also especially sensitive to air pollution. 汽车尾气, 从发电厂释放的蒸汽, 甚至人类和动物呼出的水分也会立即产生冰雾. 这雾是在灭火工作期间和之后出现的, 使摄影困难，如果不是不可能在压制后.
有证据表明. Normally we look for, gather, and analyze evidence to help develop our theories and hypotheses. But in our cold climate, evidence is difficult to locate and extract from fire scenes. 因为大多数火灾都是用水扑灭的, and heat is usually lacking at the fire scene due to routine power disconnection, 火灾碎片结冰. Digging and chopping through the ice to gather evidence ultimately becomes a daunting, 非常耗时的任务. 一旦恢复, it is almost impossible examine on site and must be taken to an area to thaw before being examined and packaged for shipment to a lab.
总而言之, Alaska’s vast land mass and rough terrain as well as its 严寒 climate and limited lighting conditions provide some unique challenges for fire investigators who have ultimately learned to adapt and overcome. 但寒冷的天气不仅仅是阿拉斯加火灾调查人员面临的问题. 收集, documenting and recovering evidence in cold weather can be a difficult prospect for all investigators. 了解更多关于Jensen Hughes的信息 全面的火灾调查服务 and how our in-depth knowledge of fire science can help establish origin and cause of fire in any climate for any industry.
