American Expatriate Costa Rica

Firefighters have new tool to determine causes of fires

An agreement between the Fire Department and the School of Materials Science and Engineering, of the Technological Institute of Costa Rica (TEC), makes it possible to determine, with scientific tools, the cause of the fires that occur in the country.

Through various analyzes, researchers and technicians of the Center for Research and Extension of Materials Engineering (Ciemtec), provide scientific inputs and technical criteria to help discern the origin of the fires.

José Luis León, coordinator of Ciemtec, explained that the work of the center aims to give technical elements when evaluating the tests and not to determine responsibilities on the fires.

Walter Jiménez, in charge of the Promotion and Research Area of the Prevention Unit of the Fire Department, believes that this type of examinations also allows to make more effective recommendations in case of defects in electrical systems.

These experiments aim to compare the conditions in which the wiring is left when the fire started due to a power overload and when the cause has nothing to do with the electrical installation.

crhoy.com