SAFE Labs’ team of skilled and knowledgeable investigators and multi-disciplined engineers can investigate a large variety of fire losses from small residential house fires to large complex industrial fires. Our team has a great deal of experience in residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural, and marine fire losses. Our goal is to determine the origin and cause of the fire while consulting and educating our clients on many factors relating to the origin, cause and spread of the fire. From processing the fire scene to examining the evidence in our laboratory, we have the ability to thoroughly investigate the fire.
Our fire investigators typically are the first to examine the fire loss to determine the origin and cause of the fire. Once the assignment is received, they can respond quickly to the fire loss by conducting an initial fire scene examination.
Our fire investigators have decades of experience in both the public and private sectors and all hold multiple certifications including Certified Fire Investigator (CFI) through the International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI) and Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator (CFEI) through the National Association of Fire Investigators (NAFI). Along with being certified our investigators are licensed private investigators in multiple states. Our investigators are well versed in and knowledgeable about National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) guides and standards, most importantly the NFPA 921 Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations.
Our investigators are well equipped to examine and document the fire scene. All carry the Matterport 3D imaging camera to better document the fire scene and assist our clients with being able to observe the fire scene in a 3-D environment. Our investigators are also drone pilots through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and hold Part 107 Unmanned Aerial System Pilot certificate. They are also equipped with drones and can better document the fire scene with aerial documentation.
In some cases, our fire investigators are assisted in the field by our team of engineers. Our Electrical, Mechanical, Fire Protection, and Material engineers have decades of experience in their fields of discipline and are all licensed Professional Engineers (PE) in multiple disciplines and states.
Our team of fire investigators and engineers are experienced in not only documenting the fire scene but also processing and collecting evidence from the fire scene. Whether it is a small house fire or large complex industrial fire our team has the ability to examine and process the scene.
An integral part of our investigation team are the technicians who directly report to our investigators and engineers and assist with the processing of the fire scene and collection of evidence. Our technicians are highly experienced, and most are also professional firefighters. Our technicians also utilize our large fleet of scene equipment that is utilized to gather and transport evidence collected at the fire scene.
One of SAFE Labs’ biggest strengths is our ability to work as a team to process any type of fire loss. By leveraging this teamwork, we are able to collect the evidence needed to further examine in our laboratory promptly, efficiently, and comprehensively.
All of our fire investigators, engineers, and technicians are trained in working in hazardous material environment type fire losses. Our fire investigators and engineers are all certified with the 40 hours OSHA Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency (HAZWOPER) and meet the OSHA standards 29 CFR 1910.120. This type of fire loss can be complex and difficult to manage; however, we have the ability to evaluate the fire loss and determine the appropriate measures to both document and process the fire scene when needed.
SAFE Labs has a staffed laboratory with engineers and technicians to assist our fire investigators and field engineers with further examining the evidence collected from processing the fire scene. Our lab is equipped with a multitude of technology and equipment, from heavy equipment to move large pieces of evidence to a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) for examining the tiniest of evidence.
Our lab is also equipped with multiple examination rooms to assist with examining the evidence, able to accommodate large pieces of evidence and numerous participants when many parties are involved in the investigation.
SAFE Labs laboratory also houses a large secure indoor storage area and a secure exterior artifact storage facility for the preservation of evidence collected from the fire scene. Whether it is a large piece of heavy equipment or a bus or a battery or electronic evidence, our facility can store and preserve the evidence for ongoing investigations.