Resources
Articles
Pyro-Technical Investigations had previously published a quarterly newsletter highlighting new developments and topics of interest relative to fire and water losses. We recently reviewed these articles and found many of them were still relevant. Going forward we will be publishing an article on topics pertinent to fire and water losses on a regular basis. We hope you find these articles interesting and informative.
The Impact of Building Construction on Fire Investigation — October 2020
Water Losses, NFPA 921, and Subrogation — July 2020
Strange But True — April 2020
Communication, Clarity, and Accident Prevention — February 2020
Winter Fire Safety — December 2019
Accidental or Incendiary — August 2019
Burn Patterns — June 2019
Second Opinions — March 2019
Keep the Happy in Happy Holidays — December 2018
Preventing Thanksgiving Disasters — November 2018
Avoiding Conflicts of Interest in Fire Investigation — October 2018
Papers
“Spoliation and its Impact on Fire Investigation” — Richard Kovarsky, P.E.
Presented at ISFI 2018
“Arc Mapping and Appliance Investigations” — Richard Kovarsky, P.E.
Presented at ISFI 2016
“The Use and Misuse of Engineers in Fire Investigation” — Richard Kovarsky, P.E.
Presented at ISFI 2012 and reprinted in the NAFI newsletter, Winter 2014
Useful Links
Appliance411 — Date Code Search
Search uses the manufacturer, model number, and serial number to determine the approximate date of manufacture for an appliance. This is often useful in determining how to pursue your claim/case.
Appliance411 — Kenmore Manufacturer Table
Appliances made by a variety of manufacturers can be branded as Kenmore. Knowing the true manufacturer is an important step in your claim/case.
Appliance411 — Appliance Manufacturer Table
Manufacturers can serve multiple brands. This table lists all of the brands for a variety of manufacturers.
UL — Underwriters Laboratories Online Certification Directory
Search for UL listings by company as well as product type.
NFPA — National Fire Protection Association
Provides access to documents such as 921 and 1033 in addition to other fire related news and developments.
Weather Underground — Past Weather Data
Useful for gathering weather reports on lightning, wind, temperatures and more. These reports can help explain phenomenon which may have taken place around the date of loss.
CPSC — Consumer Product Safety Commission
Product recalls are listed here. A recalled item can often be the cause of a claim/case.
Safer Products — Product Recalls and Consumer Complaints
Sometimes an item is not recalled, but complaints have been made to the CPSC. These are searchable and may bring to light other consumers who had similar product failures take place.
