West Haven, Conn., April 16, 2009- On May 4, at 2 p.m., Fire Science Professor Bruce Varga will set his kitchen ablaze. Minutes later he will extinguish the flames. The burning kitchen is one part of the new state-of-the art Levy Family Fire Investigation Laboratory at the University of New Haven (UNH)-likely the first fire science and arson investigation lab of its kind in an institute of higher education.
The lab consists of three 10-by-10 furnished rooms, complete with walls and ceilings and fixtures, which can be wheeled out to an adjacent parking lot, prepped for burning, and then set on fire. After each fire scene is extinguished, UNH Fire Science students-who come from across the U.S.-will be able to read its burn patterns and determine the point of origin and cause. "The laboratory enables us to safely create virtually any sort of fire-from chemical to electrical, accidental or arson-so students have the best possible hands-on tools for identifying fire sources," Varga notes. Varga is a former senior fire inspector for the City of Milford, Conn. who holds an M.S. in Fire Science from the University of New Haven.
Previously, UNH Fire Science students would have to wait for a "real" fire, somewhere in Connecticut, in order to examine it. Noting that there is no substitute for experiencing the aftermath of a fire first hand, Varga says, "Sometimes we would literally get to the point in the semester where we'd be calling around to fire stations asking whether they'd had a particular type of fire so our students could come and study it." In cases of arson, students would have to wait even longer to view the evidence.
Fire investigation students enter a fire site in teams of three or four, take sample specimens, then photograph and create sketches of the scene. Once they go through the process of determining the origin and cause of a blaze, the students must collect evidence, conduct interviews and produce a written report-all standard operating procedure for even the most seasoned fire inspector. With the laboratory, Varga can create a different set of fire scenarios before each semester. He may choose to stump his students with a mixture of household chemicals serving as an ignition source or even spontaneous-combustion scenarios.
The laboratory will also be available as a teaching tool to fire marshals and fire inspectors from across the state, benefitting professional fire-fighting organizations such as the Office of State Fire Marshal in the Connecticut Department of Public Safety, the International Association of Arson Investigators and the Connecticut Fire Marshal's Association.
Analysts at the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) recently examined insurance claims data from the first quarter of 2008 compared with the first quarter of 2009. They found that there was a six-percent increase in "questionable claims" of fires. NICB investigators are reporting increases in vehicle arson cases all across the country and the analysis showed a 27% increase in those claims for the same period, according to Frank G. Scafidi, director of public affairs at NICB. "Along with vehicles, structure fires are often the work of arsonists looking for insurance money. Creating the fire lab at UNH adds a training facility that will prepare students and professionals alike to meet the challenges of determining the origin of a fire. This expertise helps prevent fires as knowledge gained from the lab is eventually incorporated into design and manufacturing processes. It will also help keep insurance costs down as arsonists are smoked out and prosecuted for their deeds," Scafidi said.
A leader in experiential education, the University of New Haven is experiencing a historic and nationally recognized surge in enrollment. Founded in 1920, the University provides its students with a unique combination of solid liberal arts and real-world, hands-on professional training. UNH is a private university with an 80-acre main campus. The University has an enrollment of more than 5,200; approximately 1,700 graduate students and more than 3,500 undergraduates, 70 percent of whom reside in University housing. The University offers more than 80 undergraduate degrees and more than 25 graduate degrees through its five colleges, in fields such as sports management, nutrition, forensic science, music and sound recording, engineering, computer science and criminal justice. University College at UNH develops programs and courses to meet the emerging educational and training needs of educators, businesses and public and social agencies, focusing on academic excellence, convenience and flexibility. University of New Haven students study abroad through a variety of distinctive programs.