If a fire occurs in a public building or an industrial plant our DMT experts go to the site of the fire and search for clues to determine its cause. Every possible cause is investigated analytically to find out the various links in the chain of events and the sequence in which they occurred. It is important to find out whether a danger to people or animals existed in the acute fire situation, for instance as a result of the release of dioxin or furan. Furthermore after a fire it is necessary to take appropriate protection measures – here too our experts are at hand to help you.

Sometimes we even start a second fire in the affected building, because in a practical re-enactment it is often easier to simulate how a fire actually developed. And for the overall assessment we perform a computer simulation to obtain a clear picture of the cause of the fire. We then use the knowledge gained to make sure that any mistakes made previously are avoided when the building is rebuilt.

DMT post-fire investigations are recognised throughout Germany by supervisory authorities, insurances and industrial companies. In fact the expert report that we issue after we have completed our work often speeds subsequent formalities such insurance claim settlements.

 
DMT services associated with determining the causes of fires

• Early inspection of the fire site to document and preserve the prevailing status
• Locating the point at which the fire broke out, augmented by systematic examination of pre-existing fire loads and potential sources of ignition
• Examining the ignition sources that have been identified and excluding some using the elimination process
• Sampling and preparing exhibits (e.g. of specimens taken from fire debris)
• Preparing an expert report of survey
• Support in selecting suitable immediate measures in order to keep the damage to a minimum and to prevent repetitions of fires and explosions  

DMT services, referenced to the site, associated with determining the causes of fires

• Small-scale testing can be carried out in the DMT Fire Laboratory to verify theoretical causes.
• Large-scale fire testing can be carried out in the DMT fire tunnel. When reconstructing the progress of a fire, testing at 1:1 scale may be conducted, depending on the size of the object involved.
• Supplementary computer simulations
• Supporting these efforts is internal teamwork with a cross-disciplinary network of technical experts.
• Training and seminars on various topics in the fields of fire protection in order, for instance, to avoid previous mistakes when rebuilding the damaged structure.  

External services associated with determining the causes of fires

• Laboratories to examine fire residues
• Laboratories to examine damage and faults at equipment, systems and plants
• Using fire-tracker dogs
• Locating companies that specialise in rehabilitation after fire losses

References:
The experts at DMT have investigated the causes of many fires and explosions in industrial and commercial settings. Listing our clients in this field is, due to legal restrictions, not possible at this point.