What we need in the Fire and Explosion Forensic Investigator
They presently have a number of vacancies for scientists and engineers to undertake forensic investigations of a wide range of fires and explosions. Investigations will usually be undertaken for insurance related purposes. Their clients include international insurers, loss adjusters, solicitors, marine Protection and Indemnity clubs and insurance brokers. Our clients require clear and accurate technical advice regarding the cause of the fire or explosion and assistance with determining liability, sometimes at very short notice.

The Nature of the Work for the Fire and Explosion Forensic Investigator
They are offering you a rare opportunity to enter a unique and very rewarding profession in which the variety and the nature of the technically focused work is extremely diverse and challenging, thus providing you with what we consider is unrivalled job satisfaction. A key attraction of this role is that you will typically have the opportunity to be responsible for seeing a technical investigation through from beginning to end from initially collecting the evidence on site to preparing the final technical report and ultimately giving expert evidence in Court.

You will have the opportunity to investigate a wide range of fires and explosions involving ultimately super tankers and commercial airliners but initially more probably house, office and appliance fires. The entirely unpredictable nature and location of the work are key attractions of this role.

The work will often require you to examine failed components and other physical evidence in a laboratory environment. There is a practical element to the job in that occasionally you will be required to carefully dismantle machinery, equipment or component assemblies in a systematic manner to obtain the evidence that you require to determine the cause of the fire or explosion. This practical aspect of the work also extends to the requirement to devise and possibly undertake tests, possibly with outside agencies or contractors, as and when the need arises.

The role of a Fire and Explosion Forensic Investigator

• Conducting site-based investigations to record and gather the available physical evidence.
• Liaising with Police, Fire Brigade, Health and Safety Executive personnel, who may be in control of the site.
• Obtaining details regarding the background and circumstances surrounding the incident by interviewing individuals associated with the incident.
• Undertaking telephone and Internet enquiries, possibly in liaison with our team of in-house librarians.
• Reviewing technical documentation that may include manuals and maintenance records.
• Consulting relevant standards, regulations and other published guidance.
• Undertaking technical literature reviews.
• Providing the client with timely preliminary verbal and/or written advice in a form that can be readily understood by a layperson and ultimately a Judge.
• Conducting detailed laboratory-based examinations.
• Devising and conducting tests.
• Preparing reports that may be in the form of a brief letter style report or in the form of a detailed, illustrated report for Court proceedings.
• Meetings with experts appointed by the other involved parties as part of the litigation process.
• Providing expert witness evidence in Court, which will involve being questioned in depth by a Barrister, who will have been briefed by a technical expert.

Here few examples of the types of investigation undertaken

• Explosion of a tanker whilst undergoing work in dry-dock.
• Fire in a commercial airliner during cleaning.
• Fire that caused the almost total destruction of a superstore.
• Deliberate fire involving fatalities in a hotel.
• Explosion in a house following a gas leak.
• Deliberate fire in a commercial premise to defraud the insurance company.
• Fire involving white goods; washing machines, tumble dryers, dishwashers etc.

Their Requirements for a Fire and Explosion Forensic Investigator
The fire and explosion investigator position are technically demanding, challenging and most rewarding role requiring not only a thorough understanding of basic chemistry and physics but also the ability to tackle problems from first principles.

Ideally you will:

• Have attained a good honours degree in a science or engineering discipline (Chemistry Preferred).
• Have gained several years of postgraduate experience.
• Have an aptitude and enthusiasm for problem solving.
• Be self-motivated and be able to work effectively under pressure.
• Be practical, meticulous and able to work in a systematic manner.
• Have common sense and be able to analyse information critically.
• Have the ability to communicate technical concepts clearly, both verbally and in writing, to others less informed.
• Be prepared to be flexible and work unpredictable hours, as and where the work demands, including occasionally overseas.
• Be prepared to provide expert witness evidence in Court when required.

Package

• Travel Allowance
• Where appropriate a relocation package is available
• Highly competitive starting salary
• Unparalleled prospects.
• five weeks holiday
• CPF – social security savings scheme
• Private Healthcare
• Medical Insurance
• Life Assurance (death in service)

Send your CV & Details to – CV@charlesfranciscooper.co.uk

(please state in the Subject line – Fire and Explosion Expert Witness Singapore)

Charles Francis Cooper celebrates and supports diversity and is committed to ensuring equal opportunities for both employees and applicants.

(Charles Francis Cooper are acting as an employment agency)

Keywords

Fire, Explosion, Engineer, Engineering, failure investigation, Forensic investigation,

The post Fire & Explosion Expert Witness appeared first on Charles Francis Cooper.

Competitive – discussed on application

Overview

Our client is an established international scientific and technical consultancy providing independent forensic investigation, scientific consultancy, surveying, testing and expert witness services across a broad range of industries.

They are seeking a Head of Group – Fire & Explosion to undertake and support complex fire and explosion investigations worldwide. The position combines hands-on forensic investigation with the technical judgement required to assess multidisciplinary incidents involving electrical, mechanical and chemical factors.

The role sits within a multidisciplinary consultancy environment, with investigators able to draw upon specialist scientific, engineering and laboratory expertise when an investigation extends beyond their own technical discipline.

The Role

The successful candidate will lead the global team of Fire & Explosion experts, combining technical leadership with responsibility for developing client relationships, networking and supporting business development across the Group.

Alongside this leadership remit, they will remain technically active, personally investigating the origin, cause and circumstances of fires and explosions across a diverse range of incidents, working independently or alongside other scientific and engineering specialists as required.

Responsibilities will include:

• Responding to live fire and explosion incidents, including international attendance at short notice.
• Conducting systematic scene examinations to establish the origin and root cause of fires and explosions.
• Assessing electrical, mechanical and chemical factors relevant to incident causation and recognising when additional specialist expertise is required.
• Gathering, preserving and evaluating physical evidence from incident scenes.
• Undertaking practical debris examination, recording and excavation.
• Identifying and obtaining appropriate samples for subsequent testing and laboratory analysis.
• Evaluating witness evidence alongside electronic, documentary and physical evidence.
• Using laboratory investigation and analytical testing to support determination of causation.
• Considering potential ignition sources, fire development and spread when reconstructing incidents.
• Assessing material behaviour in fire environments, including potential fire propagation and susceptibility to spontaneous ignition where relevant.
• Contributing to the use of physical or mathematical models and three-dimensional fire-scene modelling where appropriate to the investigation.
• Producing clear, technically robust reports suitable for insurers, lawyers, technical specialists and other interested parties.
• Presenting and defending technical findings under peer scrutiny.
• Providing expert evidence in court or arbitration where required.
• Conducting investigations and maintaining evidence and records to appropriate forensic standards.

Candidates must demonstrate:

• Strong practical and theoretical problem-solving ability within complex technical investigations.
• The ability to investigate fires and explosions methodically and objectively, working from the available physical, documentary, electronic and witness evidence.
• An understanding of electrical, mechanical and chemical factors in fire and explosion incidents.
• Sound judgement in identifying issues outside their own technical specialism and engaging appropriate experts.
• The ability to operate effectively and make technical decisions at incident scenes, including when working independently.
• Strong evidence recording, analytical and technical report-writing skills.
• The ability to explain complex technical findings clearly to both specialist and non-technical audiences.
• The technical confidence to support conclusions when subjected to critical review or cross-examination.
• Willingness and availability to travel internationally at short notice.

Qualifications

• A suitable Bachelor’s degree in Science or Engineering.
• A related Doctorate is preferred.
• Chartered is preferred

Ideally You Will Have

• Previous experience of fire and explosion investigation and/or forensic consultancy.
• Experience undertaking practical, hands-on incident and scene investigation.
• Experience integrating scene evidence with laboratory or scientific analysis.
• Experience preparing technical or expert reports arising from forensic investigations.
• Exposure to expert witness work, court proceedings or arbitration.
• Experience working across multidisciplinary investigations involving scientific and engineering specialists.
• The ability to work across a varied caseload involving different industries, incident types and technical causes.

Working Arrangements

• Based in London or Cardiff.
• Significant incident-driven travel should be expected and be willing and able to travel worldwide at short notice.
• Investigations may be undertaken independently or as part of a multidisciplinary team depending upon the nature and complexity of the incident.

Package

• Competitive terms and conditions.
• Full details discussed on application.

Application Details

Send your CV & Details to – CV@charlesfranciscooper.co.uk (please state in the Subject line – Head of Group – Fire & Explosion)

Charles Francis Cooper celebrates and supports diversity and is committed to ensuring equal opportunities for both employees and applicants.

(Charles Francis Cooper are acting as an employment agency)

Keywords

Fire & Explosion, Fire Investigation, Explosion Investigation, Forensic Investigation, Forensic Engineering, Root Cause Investigation, Origin and Cause, Fire Scene Investigation, Explosion Scene Investigation, Incident Investigation, Failure Investigation, Evidence Examination, Debris Examination, Laboratory Analysis, Accelerant Residues, Ignition Sources, Fire Growth, Fire Spread, Spontaneous Ignition, Fire Modelling, Expert Witness, Court Evidence, Arbitration, Scientific Consultancy, Engineering Consultancy, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Head of Group, Head of Department, Team Lead, Principal Investigator

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