James Morris Joins Hawkins’ Fire Investigation Team
James joins Hawkins’ Fire Investigation team after working in the petrochemical and biochemical industries.
Thatch Fires and Wood Burning Stoves
Fires involving thatched roofs are normally devastating, resulting in significant emotional distress for homeowners and substantial financial losses for insurers.
Calcium Oxide and its Exothermic Reactions
Some unusual aspects that caused an exothermic reaction, and relate to the use of calcium oxide (also known as quicklime), as an animal-friendly sanitization product.
Fire Safety Design, Construction and Management Challenges
Following the Grenfell Tower fire disaster in 2017, the government commissioned an independent review of Building Regulations and fire safety.
Fires In Heritage Buildings
The British are known worldwide for our love of tradition, which goes hand in hand with our fascination with heritage buildings. Varying enormously in scale, complexity and construction, heritage properties are buildings of special architectural or historic interest; but they were often originally constructed with no consideration of fire.
The Human Side of Investigation
Fire investigation goes beyond science. Investigators interact with people in crisis, using empathy to gather evidence. The job is emotionally demanding, with pressure to solve cases and exposure to tragedy. Mental health is crucial, and investigators need support to cope with the emotional toll.
Fire in a Road Sweeper – The False Economy of a Cheaper Supplier
Hawkins was instructed to investigate the cause of a fire in an electric road sweeper which occurred at a council depot approximately ten minutes after a service engineer had repaired the sweeper.
Arc Mapping
Our research involving compartment fires explored the reliability of a technique called “arc mapping” which uses the electrical wiring in a building to establish the origin of a fire. The analysis of three-dimensional data collected during the research indicated a high probability that localised melting on electrical conductors known as ‘arcing damage’ occurred in close proximity to the fire’s area of origin.
Fireworks: The Science Behind the Show
As you ooh and aah at the dazzling explosions of a fireworks display, there are three things going on that you probably wouldn’t guess: the chemists who made those pyrotechnics designed most of them so they wouldn’t explode, you’re actually seeing the conservation of energy, and most peculiar of all, when things are at their brightest, you’re actually seeing the fireworks as they’re cooling down. The products of pyrotechnic chemistry have been refined since the 800s, when the Chinese began filling bamboo shoots with black powder and exploding them at the New Year with the hope that the sound would scare away evil spirits.
Fires Caused by Hold Lights in Bulk Carriers
In the last few years there has been a change in bulk cargo ship design relating to Australian ladderways. The ships we have seen were all built in China, with the Australian ladders built as partially enclosed box sections.