Fire Investigation Manual

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Each year, thousands of fires occur in commercial kitchens. Because the details of many of these fires are complex the need arises for an investigator to have a clear understanding of the commercial kitchen environment (appliances, fire-extinguishing systems and exhaust systems).

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Fire Investigation in Commercial Kitchen Systems, by Phil Ackland and A. Elwood Willey

This book leads you step-by-step through an investigation of a commercial kitchen fire. It is written for fire investigators, analysts, engineers, expert witnesses and attorneys to give them a detailed knowledge of commercial kitchen exhaust and fire suppression systems.

Every fire is different. This book gives you a starting point to begin an investigation in a commercial kitchen fire.

Chapter Overview

Chapter One: General Information

This chapter discusses the general information that all fire investigators should know. It outlines the incident data, the purpose of investigations, the methods, legal considerations and expert testimony.

Chapter Two: Codes and Standards

This chapter reviews the major codes and standards used in the design and installation of commercial kitchen exhaust systems. It also covers code analysis concepts for investigations.

Chapter Three: Appliances

This chapter provides an overview of appliances and their applications and how the use of different appliances effect the amount of grease accumulation in exhaust systems. It also covers the ignition properties of cooking oils and fats.

Chapter Four: Kitchen Exhaust Systems

This chapter discusses the differences between Type I and Type II exhaust systems, and the theory of air movement. What the components of the exhaust system are, including different kinds of hoods, ducts, fans and where the access panels should be located.

Chapter Five: Fire Extinguishing Systems

This chapter addresses fire protection principles and requirements for commercial cooking appliances and exhaust system fire-extinguishing equipment.

Chapter Six: Non-Compliant

This chapter explains the different areas of non-compliance in the commercial exhaust system. Today non-compliant systems are created when contractors or installers ignore code requirements. These elements are factors in many of the more serious structural fires in commercial kitchens.

Chapter Seven: Conducting the Investigation

This chapter discusses how to plan the investigation, and how to organize both the investigation and the specialized personnel and technical consultants needed. It also discusses the fire scene examination and includes checklists for cooking appliances and equipment.

Chapter Eight: Interviewing

This chapter discusses what you should do while conducting interviews in the field. It includes sample questions to ask the restaurant management, incident witnesses and system contractors.

Chapter Nine: Analysis and Reporting

This chapter will assist the investigator in the analysis phase of an investigation including origin and fire cause determination and determining the cause of the loss. A primer is provided on fire science and the use of time lines in fire analysis, selecting the final hypothesis (opinion) and report writing tips are included as well.

Chapter Ten: Case Studies

This chapter is a series of photos from seven case studies and actual field conditions illustrating deficiencies.

Chapter Eleven: Appendices

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Peer Reviewers

The following individuals provided valuable peer review time and talent:

Besal, Barney, Technical Expert, Besal Services Inc., Atlanta, GA.

Bradbury, Steve, Technical Expert, Russell Food Equipment, Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Coolidge, Steve, CRM, SFPE, Loss Control, CGI Insurance Services, AB, Canada.

Eddy, James R., CFI, Fire Chief Ret., Chief Fire Analyst, New England Fire Cause & Origin, Inc., Barrington, NH.

Foster, David L., Senior Technical Coordinator, Risk Decision Services, Insurance Services, Inc., Jersey City, NJ.

Hopson, Gary G., CSP, CFPS, ARM, Senior Consultant A-Property Risk Control, Aon Risk Services, Southfield, MI.

Icove, David J., Ph.D., P.E., Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Tennessee, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Knoxville, TN.

Lentini, John, CFI, Fire Investigator, Applied Technical Services, Atlanta, GA.

Levin, Steven, Regional Risk Control Consultant, CNA Insurance, Downers Grove, IL.

McDonnell, Paul A., Attorney, Singleton Urquhart LLP, Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Neuens, Chad, Attorney, Neuens and Associates, St Paul/Travelers Insurance, Greenwood Village, CO.

Parikh, Jay, Code Consultant, Compliance Solutions International Inc, Chicago, IL.

Ray, Shaun, Director of Engineering, Metal-Fab Inc., Wichita, KS.

Roberts, Jim, Technical Expert, DPW Services, Louisville, KY.

Sauve, Stan, Fire Inspector, City of Calgary, AB, Canada.

Smith, Dennis W., Senior Fire Expert, Kodiak Fire & Safety Consulting, Fort Wayne, IN.

Stewart, Don, Senior Technical Expert, National Fire Services, Gurnee, IL.

Tracey, Sean, P.Eng., Canadian Regional Manager NFPA, Ottawa, ON, Canada.

Trellis, Javier, Ph.D., Senior Engineer, Hughes Associates, Baltimore, MD.

Wilson, Rory, Technical Expert, DPW Services, Louisville, KY.

Zawacki, George, Food Service Consultant, UpYourStack.com, Arlington Heights, IL.

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Fire Investigation in

Commercial Kitchen Systems Manual

Hard Copy	Digital Download Format
US$139.95	US$111.95
Audio Download Format	Audio CD Format
US$74.95	US$98.95

   

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