Cause of Personal Injury or Loss of Life

When evaluating a fire scene, many factors must be considered in determining the cause of personal injury or loss of life from the incident. Our investigators, consultants and engineers analyze the factors that were responsible for the personal injury and loss of life including:

• adequacy of means of egress,
• in place protective confinement,
• adequacy of detection and alarm systems,
• role of toxic materials that endanger human life,
• and the reason for fire fighter injuries or fatalities.

The following conditions may be involved and can be analyzed:

• toxicity,
• hazardous materials,
• compartmentation,
• change of occupancy/ hazard,
• detection/alarm systems,
• human behavior,
• fire suppression,
• fuel loads,
• housekeeping,
• ventilation,
• code violations,
• means of egress,
• structural failure, and
• intentional acts.