Fire Investigations Are what we do. Day in. Day out.
The proper fire investigations take keen analytical skills. Rich Meier is an expert at analyzing the facts, data and codes to find answers in your fire investigation case.
We use the scientific method, as dictated by NFPA 921, to build a clear picture of what happened and why. First we determine (or confirm) the origin of the fire. This lays the foundation for all subsequent findings and conclusions. If you get the origin wrong, everything that comes after will be wrong, too.
Next step is finding the cause.
“Fire Cause” is defined as “the the circumstances, conditions or agencies that brought together a fuel, ignition source and oxidizer resulting in a fire or a combustion explosion.” To do that, the investigator must identify all of the potential fuels and ignition sources in the area of origin. Sometimes they must also identify potential oxidizers, as it is not always oxygen in the air, or even oxygen.
Once those three components are identified, the investigator must analyze the data and form one or more hypotheses as to how the fire could have started. They then needs to test each hypothesis, using either logic and their knowledge of fire science, or through experimentation, to see if the proposed scenario is likely or even a possibility. Once the testing is done, only those hypotheses that possible are analyzed further, and the most likely selected as “the cause”.
Fire Investigations: Responsibility
Sometimes we are called upon to determine responsibility, especially if the fire results litigation. Different parties may be responsible for different results of the fire. An example might be a kitchen fire in an apartment building.
- The tenant may be responsible for starting the fire if they left cooking unattended.
- A manufacturer may be responsible for the fire if a kitchen appliance overheated.
- The landlord may be responsible for injuries if they failed to maintain fire detection and suppression systems.
- A builder or contractor may be responsible for fire spread if they failed to follow the building and fire codes.
It is our education, training, skills, experience and dedication to continued learning and research that allows us to do the complicated examinations, analysis, testing and any other activity needed to find the right answers for the right questions.
