The Sapiteur’s Assignment
A technical specialist who brings specialised expertise to your Explosion & Fire case.
A technical specialist serving your case.
The specialist technical advisor (sapiteur) is appointed to provide specific technical expertise that the instructing party does not directly possess. Lead expert, lawyer, expert appraisal firm, builder, local authority, private individual — any instructing party may call on a sapiteur in Explosion & Fire matters.
FireLab Pyrénées™ acts as a sapiteur in Post-Fire Investigation according to the "NFPA 921" methodology. Analysis of an electrical appliance under suspicion. Examination of a heating system. Study of a photovoltaic installation. Reading of Combustion Traces and Fire Effects - TCEF. Each assignment answers a targeted technical question.
No hypothesis left unexamined, no biased conclusion. Verifiable findings, a reliable technical answer, or a cause classified as Undetermined.
Every environment, a dedicated expertise.
FireLab Pyrénées™ acts as a sapiteur in every environment — buildings, industry, vehicles, maritime & inland waterways, energy installations, natural areas. Discover our fields of intervention →
From appointment to the sapiteur’s report.
Appointment by the instructing party
Recognition of the need and definition of the problem. Formalisation of the assignment and of the technical field covered.
Specialised technical analysis
Data collection, analysis and testing of hypotheses. Examination of the case documents, complementary investigations at the loss scene if necessary, technical tests.
Drafting of the sapiteur’s report
A self-contained technical document, signed, dated and added to the instructing party’s file. Conclusions established according to the "NFPA 921" methodology.
Technical exchanges
Available to provide clarifications to the instructing party and to the parties attending the expert proceedings. A technical question calls for a swift answer, not a waiting period.
The Sapiteur’s Assignment in Explosion & Fire in practice.
What is the difference between a sapiteur and a third-party expert?
The sapiteur is a technical specialist appointed by an instructing party — lead expert, lawyer, expert appraisal firm, builder, local authority or private individual — to provide specific technical expertise on a given point of the case.
The third-party expert is appointed jointly by two insurance companies or mutual insurers in disagreement, to settle a technical dispute under a settlement protocol. FireLab Pyrénées™ acts in both capacities.
Who pays the sapiteur’s fees?
The sapiteur’s fees are borne by the instructing party who appoints them. FireLab Pyrénées™ informs the instructing party of the terms and fees from the very first contact.
Is the sapiteur’s report disclosed to the parties?
How the report is communicated depends on the framework of the assignment. In civil judicial expert proceedings, the opinion of the consulted technician is appended to the expert’s report and the rules of procedure apply. For a private assignment, communication is organised according to the agreed commitments and the applicable obligations.
Need a sapiteur in Explosion & Fire?
Contact FireLab Pyrénées™ for targeted technical expertise in RCCI — fire and explosion origin and cause investigation.
or call the firm (non-urgent) on +33 564 271 254
