Chris,

In your original posting you stated that you advise your clients to “use a different set of wording than interested party” and to notify “all known parties” rather than just interested parties as defined in 921. My question was what is the distinction, and why not use the wording in NFPA 921?

There is no need to notify “all known parties,” only those entities which would have an interest in the possible outcome of the investigation. For example, there is may be no need to notify the manufacturer of an RV’s wiper blades for a fire involving the LP system. In addition, the list should not be limited to only product-related parties but also those listed in Section 27.1.4.

“27.1.4 Interested Parties. As used in this document, “interested parties” means any person, entity, or organization, including their representatives, with statutory obligations or whose legal rights or interests may be affected by the investigation of a specific incident. Interested parties may include persons or groups conducting fire or explosion investigations on behalf of public safety agencies (such as fire departments, law enforcement, fire marshals, code enforcement agencies, or criminal prosecutors), property owners, or existing or potential parties to civil or criminal litigation and their attorneys (such as insurance interests, fire victims, and criminal defendants or potential criminal defendants).”

By the way if anyone can figure out a way to notify interested parties before they are ‘known,” please submit a proposal to NFPA 921 – this would greatly shorten the total investigative time.

Pat Kennedy, CFEI, CFPS, MIFireE
Fire and Explosion Analyst
Sarasota, Florida
[www.kennedy-fire.com]