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Forensics

MP&P Engineering has conducted approximately 500 forensic engineering investigations under Ken Maskell, P. Eng., and Aaron Gillrie, B. Eng. These electrical forensic examinations have included incidents relating to fires, flooding, freezing, overheating, outages, safety hazards, improper installations, code compliance, control failures, and equipment failures. Incidents investigated have varied from large multimillion dollar industrial losses to small residential circuit failures and consumer electronics failures. With years of practical consulting engineering experience throughout Western Canada, MP&P has the electrical resources to bring a balanced approach to our investigation.

MP&P Engineering participates in ongoing engineering and forensic training in both Canada and the United States to maintain its high standard of quality and service. Additionally, active involvement in consulting engineering design keeps us up to date with the latest in industry advancements, the latest in code requirements, and an understanding of what is a realistic engineering implementation versus a purely theoretical approach. This allows sensible incident diagnosis, in combination with the application of first principles, to arrive at supported and defensible conclusions.

MP&P Engineering maintains membership in the following associations to remain engaged in the advancement of forensic sciences and employee training:

  • Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists, and Geophysicists of Alberta (APEGGA)
  • Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
  • Fire Investigation Association of Alberta (FIAA)
  • Canadian Association of Fire Investigators (CAFI)
  • National Association of Fire Investigators (NAFI)
  • International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI)
  • American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
  • American Chemical Society (ACS)

Through involvement with the aforementioned associations, MP&P has training and field experience in:

  • Live burns and testing, including electrical testing and failure demonstrations
  • Electrical fire reconstruction, arc fault mapping, arc analysis
  • Fire protection systems and engineering
  • The scientific method and its application to forensic engineering
  • Evidence collection, preservation of evidence, evidence documentation
  • Forensic photography - fire scenes, impression evidence, X-ray, SEM, XRD, etc.
  • CSA, cUL, UL, and other certification requirements
  • Canadian Electrical Code and Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) compliance requirements
  • Spoliation issues
  • Expert reporting requirements
  • Expert witness preparation
  • Case management
  • Metallurgical examination referrals

If you have an incident with potential electrical involvement, please call Aaron Gillrie at 403 - 509 - 2005, or email him at aaron.gillrie@mppeng.ca