burgoynes dr j h burgoyne & partners llp consulting scientists and engineers

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BURGOYNESDr J H Burgoyne & Partners LLP

Consulting Scientists and Engineers

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BURGOYNESDr J H Burgoyne & Partners LLP

Consulting Scientists and Engineers

Keith Benjamin

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Incidents

• Fires & explosions

• Chemical engineering (eg plant failures)

• Electrical problems (eg over-voltages)

• Component failures (eg collapses, leaks)

• Materials Science (eg corrosion)

• Road, Rail & Air accidents

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Customers

• Loss Adjusters

• Insurers

• Solicitors

• Commercial companies

• Public bodies

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Locations in the British Isles

Glasgow

LondonBasingstoke

Coventry

IlkleyManchester

StevenageCardiff

Dublin

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People

• 45 investigators in the UK

• Chemists & chemical engineers

• Physicists

• Mechanical & electrical engineers

• Materials scientists

• Gas engineers

• Biologists

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Cases

• 3000+ cases per year

• 2500 fires

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Typical Issues

• Seat of fire

• Cause of fire

• Spread of fire

• Policy conditions

• Good practice & standards

• Involvement of “third parties”

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Evidence Types

• Physical evidence

• Documentary evidence

• Alarms & CCTV

• Witness evidence

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Physical evidence

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Documentary evidence

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CCTV evidence

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and some things that people say

Witness evidence

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“I had only just left when the fire started so it’s lucky I wasn’t hurt”

“There were huge flames all round the room but hardly any smoke…” [the

“East Enders” fire]

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Smoking

• “I couldn’t have been smoking because…”

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• “…I’d left my cigarettes at home”

• “…I’d run out”

• “…I’d just given up…”

• “…but the shock has made me start again”

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• Voices heard after occupant was said to have left

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• Voices heard after occupant was said to have left

• Sudden but short-lived issuing of black smoke

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• Voices heard after occupant was said to have left

• Sudden but short-lived issuing of black smoke

• Second smoke emission after 30 minutes

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• Voices heard after occupant was said to have left

• Sudden but short-lived issuing of black smoke

• Second smoke emission after 30 minutes

• Vehicle heard leaving

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• Occupant had lived there 3 days

• Occupant had a house and family elsewhere

• Very recent policy

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• Fire in parts department 18 months earlier

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• Fire in parts department 18 months earlier

• On each occasion parts manager had just returned from sick leave

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• Fire in parts department 18 months earlier

• On each occasion parts manager had just returned from sick leave

• New management scrutinising performance

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• Fire in parts department 18 months earlier

• On each occasion parts manager had just returned from sick leave

• New management scrutinising performance

• Parts manager spoken to on evening of fire

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• Security systems not yet commissioned

• Parts manager said he secured parts department, including lowering roller shutters

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• Fusible link operated roller shutters closing as Brigade arrived.

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• “We couldn’t have been smoking when we were in the sitting room that evening because we’d both left our cigarettes at home”

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Thank You