Report from Hands Across the Border 2009

On February 20, the Washington State Chapter of the IAAI hosted the 33rd annual Hands Across the Border luncheon and seminar at the Silver Reef Casino near Ferndale, Washington. As is the practice, the guest chapter provided the speaker. The theme “Crossed Wires” was in keeping with the many interesting and varied topics that have been presented over the years. The Keynote speaker was Steve Baker, the forensic electrical examiner for Fire Pro Investigations and also a Manager in the electrical department for the City of Vancouver.

Steve provided well-timed information on safety concerns for the Investigator regarding some of the developing green electrical technologies that are being utilized as we try and shed our dependence on fossil fuels.

Steve also spoke on how high resistance connections develop and cause fires. He further discussed how to recognize these connections and the precision needed when gathering the evidence for proving one’s hypothesis. Additional topics included the importance of arc mapping a fire scene, identifying electrical parts and their manufacturers, metal halide lights as ignition sources and the distinction between whether the electrical damage found at a fire scene is a cause of or a result of the fire.

The seminar ended with a hands-on examination of various electrical components gathered from different fire scenes. Attendees were asked to examine and comment on whether the electrical damage was a cause or a result of the fire.

Many thanks to Noel Putaansuu, the President of the Washington Chapter for hosting the event and for providing working examples of a high resistance connection and a floating neutral. Also, many thanks to Steve Baker for a very interesting and informative presentation. Lastly, thanks to everyone who attended. I hope to see all of you next year in British Columbia.

Terry Zweng
President, BC Chapter 15