Tulsa Fire Investigators teach high school seniors about their profession

TULSA -- Two Tulsa Fire Investigators spoke to a class at Memorial Senior High School Wednesday.

Amy Cook's 12th grade forensic science class learned about accelerants and how investigators determine where and how a fire started.

Capt. Scott Winford said it all boils down to the scientific method. 

"For us, our problem would be what caused this fire," Capt. Winford said. 

"Usually, I'm just like trying to learn this for a grade, but it's cool to see that he took that into his profession and it helps him in his profession," Miranda McConnell, a senior, said. 

Capt. Winford used the example of a fire that started in a bedroom to help the class understand. 

"What might we find outside the house to determine where the fire started?" Capt. Winford asked.

The investigator said a broken window with charring above the frame could be an indication. 

Alarm clock, candle, lamp or cell phone charger are the possibilities that the students came up with that could contribute to the cause of the fire. 

Capt. Winford talked about what clues an investigator uses inside a home to pinpoint which one it might be. 

"We are looking at all those potential ignition sources and either trying to rule those out as a cause or make a determination that that is possibly a cause," Capt. Winford told the class. 

Canyon also joined the class. He is an accelerant detection dog that plays a big role in figuring out if something was used to start a fire, like gas, lighter fluid or alcohol.

The K-9 can sniff out one of the liquids in less than a minute. Capt. Winford said when the dog finds one, he sits next to it with his nose pointing at the area. 

"You never really know the process of it so it was nice learning that," McConnell said. 

Memorial Senior High School's motto is "College and career readiness is not a dream. It's a plan." 

 Cook said she hopes the students not only learned more about forensic science but about the profession.

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