CNPP regularly assist manufacturers, insurers, loss adjusters, legal experts and police services in their investigations or counter-investigations.

These investigations can be carried out for a faulty product or property after a damage (fire, explosion, etc.)

CNPP provides you assistance in your following missions:

• On-site research and analysis of the area where the accident started (fire and explosion), its causes (electrical, chemical, mechanical, voluntary, hotspot, etc.) and its spread.
• Laboratory analysis of faulty equipment, particularly in the electrical field, presumed to be or being the source of damage. The aim is to provide technical elements that may explain the cause of the damage.
• Accelerating product searchin debris samples. These debris samples can be removed by CNPP or a third person.
• Behaviour analysis of the involved materials (flammability test, spread test, etc.)
• Technical advice on record after a damage. These technical advices are based on expertise and tests carried out by CNPP.
• Partial or total reconstruction of fires from laboratory scale to large scale tests or by modelling. The aims of these reconstructions can be determining the duration of the fire, the role of a device or equipment during the fire, the fire spread, etc. These reconstructions can support or dismiss a hypothesis concerning the start of fire.

The technical reports are confidential and strictly objective. They can be directly used for loss adjustment conclusions.

CNPP is concerned with all types of losses throughout France and abroad (industrial processes, waste, vehicles, workshops / warehouses, homes, equipment or materials, electronic systems, etc.)

This involves:

• A transverse technical expertise of our teams in malicious acts, intrusion, fire, explosion and people safety.
• A reference database made up of over 200 studies and tests carried out each year.
• A cooperative network with highly specialised laboratories (X rays, electronic scanning microscopy, ICP, IFTR, etc.) and permanent participation in the ARSON workgroup of CFPA Europe.

At last, the Fire and Environmental Laboratory equipment can be used to carry out experimentations based on a scientific use of data:

• A chromatographic analysis laboratory, recognised working in relation with European colleagues and controlled by the "Collaborative Testing Service".
• Instrumentation fitted to fire metrology in order to measure thermal flow, temperatures, the force of fire, etc.
• Three modular fire halls including the largest closed hall in Europe, able to recreate all types of fire scenes and installations.
• Fire chambers, including one with a mobile ceiling.
• Technical facilities at CNPP’s European Safety Centre in Vernon.

Link to ‘methodology of research into causes of fire’

’Research into the causes of fire’ file

‘Technical expertise assistance by creating a model’ file

Contact:
Tel.: 33 (0)2 32 53 64 33
laboratoire-feu.environnement@cnpp.com