2021 Fire Science and Litigation Virtual Seminar Agenda

2021 Fire Science and Litigation February

*Schedule and Speakers subject to change

Attend this virtual seminar, Thursday, February 11, to whet your appetite for DRI’s second live burn and fire investigation training that will take place on September 9, 2021. This virtual seminar will build upon the 2018 seminar, with sessions highlighting spontaneous combustion as a fire cause and a kitchen fire scene investigation. The following will also be covered:

  • Fire patterns and arc mapping information to evaluate hypothetical fire causes
  • A hands-on "find the arced wire" test, which will challenge you in terms of your electrical fire damage knowledge
  • The destructive nature of flashover in a simulated living room fire, which includes a video and associated mathematical modeling of fire growth for the flashover burn
  • Investigation of fire impact on buildings and their occupants

Earn up to 3.5 hours of CLE credit while learning about this hot topic.
View the CLE Grid (PDF)
View the Speaker List

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Thursday, February 11, 2021

Time (Central Time) Session
12:00-12:10 p.m. Welcome and Introductions

James Weatherholtz, Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP, Charleston, SC
Kathryn A. Regier, Sandberg Phoenix, Kansas City, MO
Melanie Lockett, Lowe Stein Hoffman Allweiss & Hauver LLP, New Orleans, LA
12:10-1:25 p.m. Virtually, a Hands-On Fire Investigation Primer, Part 1

This session will introduce DRI's past Live Burn Training day that took place in 2018. One of the fire scenes will be investigated – a living room fire due to spontaneous combustion. From there, attorneys will attempt to create spontaneous combustion with a hands-on exercise. The session will conclude with some insight into the making of a full day fire investigation training course.

Trey Morrison, Ph.D., P.E., CCPSC, CFEI, Exponent, Warrenville, IL
Scott Dillon, ESi, Plymouth, MN
1:25-1:35 p.m. BREAK
1:35-2:50 p.m. Virtually, a Hands-On Fire Investigation Primer, Part 2

The second session will highlight a kitchen fire scenario and will dive into the investigation of potential causes. Melted copper wiring is ubiquitous at fire scenes, and the results of a hands-on search by attendees for arced wires in fire debris will be shared. The session will conclude with a demonstration of flashover in a simulated living room. Fire dynamics modeling predicting the fire growth and development of the flashover will be presented, along with measurements of the temperatures that the attendees felt firsthand.

Adam Goodman, S-E-A, Glen Burnie, MD
Stephen M. Hill, Jensen Hughes, Baltimore, MD
2:50-3:00 p.m. BREAK
3:00-4:00 p.m. Technical and Code Aspects of Investigation of Fire Impact on Buildings and Their Occupants

This presentation discusses investigation of fire impact on buildings and their occupants. The agenda includes a discussion of the elements of fire protection of buildings and occupants per code, as well as construction and code interpretation questions prior to a fire incident. Then, post-fire questions like investigation tools, identifying the extent of damage, standard of care, and code implications of a rebuild will be covered.

Ali Ashrafi, Thornton Tomasetti, New York, NY
4:00-4:05 p.m. BREAK
4:05-5:00 p.m. Networking Event
5:00 p.m. ADJOURN