When a wildfire devastates a community, it is essential to understand not only where and how it began, but also the many factors that influenced its spread and scale. Neale Consulting carries out wildfire investigations to determine ignition sources, contributing conditions, and the effectiveness of the response.
By gathering information from people, records and the scene, we build a clear picture of how the incident unfolded and give clients straightforward answers on responsibility, liability, and recovery.
Our wildfire investigators use recognised guidance such as NFPA 921 and the NWCG Guide to Wildland Fire Origin and Cause Determination (PMS 412) to find the point of origin and cause.
What a Wildfire Investigation Covers
Our comprehensive wildfire investigations cover the key factors that should be taken into account in such cases. These factors include:
- Ignition & Origin: the area and point of origin, the ignition source, and the first fuel involved.
- Environmental Factors: fuel type, load and continuity; live and dead fuel moisture; terrain, slope and aspect; canyons and natural barriers; wind, temperature, relative humidity and drought indices; ember cast and spotting.
- The Wildland-Urban Interface: building materials, defensible space, community layout and density, land use and zoning, ICC and NFPA code compliance, vegetation management, prescribed burns and fuel treatment areas, exposure of critical infrastructure and fuel thinning along egress routes.
- Utilities & Critical Infrastructure: Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events and utility compliance with wildfire mitigation plans.
- Response Analysis: firefighting strategies and tactics, containment lines, dispatch timing, resource availability, mutual aid, emergency notification and evacuation, communications interoperability, road access and water supply.
Who We Work For
Utilities, insurers, landowners and legal firms call on us for independent analysis in wildfire litigation and claims. Where a dispute needs testimony, our wildfire expert witness support sits alongside our fire and explosion expert witness services.
Need a Wildfire Investigator?
Contact us as soon as you can, so that evidence at the origin is preserved and not lost. Contact us now.
How can we help you?
