An Analysis of Selected Clusters of Fires in Florida (1996 - 2018)

Author

Thomas Riley Hall, Nova Southeastern UniversityFollow

Date of Award

2019

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education

Advisor

Marcelo Castro

Committee Member

Steven Hecht

Committee Member

Robert Stephens, Jr.

Keywords

arson, cluster, fire, serial offending, trigger

Abstract

Hidden within the day-to-day routine responses of fire departments are possible multiple fires set by individuals in a small area with an unusual frequency. These fires may be the initial announcement of an emerging serial offender who is declaring a wound, an intolerable life situation, or is triggered by unknown events. This study sought to predict incendiary fires within a known cluster by using observable variables, both prior to and after the cluster event. This was done to further our understanding of the characteristics of clusters of intentionally lit fires. This was accomplished by examining the Florida Fire Information Reports (FFIRS) from the Florida State Fire Marshal’s Division and the Augmented Criminal Information (ACISS) reports provided by the Florida Division of Investigative and Forensic Services, Bureau of Fire, Arson and Explosives Investigation from 1996 to 2018. The study surveyed 1,260,369 records from which 45 clusters comprised of 1216 individual fire events were used.

NSUWorks Citation

Thomas Riley Hall. 2019. An Analysis of Selected Clusters of Fires in Florida (1996 - 2018). Doctoral dissertation. Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved from NSUWorks, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education. (225)
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/fse_etd/225.