Iain Peck MSc BSc

Fire investigator since 2000

Iain is an experienced forensic fire investigator having worked full-time carrying out off-site and laboratory-based forensic examinations and analysis since 2000 throughout the UK and worldwide. Iain has investigated over 650 fire scenes and carried out laboratory examinations on items from many more fire-related cases. He has practised at communicating complex technical issues to lay audiences. Designed and delivered training courses to professional and academic groups.

Iain Peck

Forensic chemistry

Arson, accidental fires and explosions

Electrical fires

Battery and UPS fires and electric vehicle fires

Fire development and spread/breach of compartmentation

Policy liability issues regarding warranties, conditions precedent etc

Regulatory health and safety issues

Electric shock and burn injuries and electrocutions.

Hot work issues

Ductwork and catering fires
Investigation Into the fire arising from the Hackney Siege (2003)

Investigation into the Cutty Sark fire, Greenwich, London (2007).

Investigation into the fires arising from the Tottenham Riots (2011).

Case review of R vs Philpott, Philpott and Mosley where 6 children died as the result of a house fire in Derbyshire (2012).

Case Review of OP Shakespeare concerning the fatalities of 5 children and their mother for Essex and Kent Police, Serious Crime Directorate (2012)

Instructed to investigate the $46 million loss due to a fire at Dhaka Tobacco Industries, Bangladesh (2013).

Case review into the death of Oury Jalloh in Police custody in Dessau, Germany (2014 to date)
Specialising in matters relating to explosions caused by gas and volatile liquids and all types of fires to the legal and insurance sectors throughout the UK and worldwide for 24 years.

Determination of the cause, origin and spread of fires and explosions.

Leading multi-disciplined teams in the investigation of many high profile and complex cases.

Case reviews for solicitors to assess and interpret the available fire related evidence in order to provide alternative hypotheses where possible.

Instructed in a number of civil cases including the fire at Dhaka Tobacco Industries, Bangladesh with a reported loss of $46 million.

Laboratory based casework including ignitable liquid analysis and interpretation, appliance examinations to determine the item or component responsible, appliance viability testing, heat damage examinations and interpretation, and temperature monitoring.

Consultant to the UN for Ignitable Liquid Analysis.

Preparation of forensic fire investigation reports for use by insurers, loss adjusters and solicitors in civil and criminal litigation cases.

Delivered fire investigation practical and theoretical training in Turkey as part of an EU Twinning Project.

Delivery of annual 5 day fire investigation courses (theory and practical) to Essex, Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Norfolk and Suffolk Police.

Attended fire and explosion scenes as part of a daily and out of hours on call rota.

Checked and peer reviewed a wide range of cases from other members of the fire investigation unit.

Assessment and interpretation of professional and expert witness evidence.

Attended Magistrates, Coroner and Crown Court as an expert witness and involved in case conferences with police officers, other scientists and the Crown Prosecution Service.

Departmental Head of training. Designed, presented and coordinated specialised fire investigation training courses for Kent, Sussex and Hampshire Police Constabularies.

Coordinated training and mentored new trainee reporting officers. Mentored an M.Sc. Forensic Science student researching heat damage caused to footwear due to exposure to a petrol vapour ignition.

Petrol branding research project examining petrol additives using Direct Analysis in Real Time
Professional Member of the Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences (1997 to date)

Honorary Lecturer at the University of Kent (2014 to date)

UKAS Technical Advisor - fire investigation (2018 to date)

Member of the UK Association of Fire Investigators and the International Association of Arson

Investigators (2017 to date).

Associate member of the Skills for Health (formerly Skills for Justice) as a fire investigation advisor (2017 to date).

Council for the Registration of Forensic Practitioners (CRFP) – Incident Evaluation and Fire Debris Analysis (2003-2009)

CRFP Assessor (2009)

Internal auditor for 17020 (2020)

Iain Peck

Expertise

Notable work

Notable cases

Experience

Committee Memberships