Licensed Professional Engineer
Mechanical PE - CA, NV, OR, WA, AZ
Certified Fire & Explosion Investigator
Certified Vehicle Fire Investigator
National Association of Fire Investigators
OUR SERVICES
Equipment Fire, Failure & Damage Investigations
Equipment losses can involve fire, mechanical breakdown, or damage from an external event. Determining what occurred requires examining the equipment, its operating history, and the physical evidence together.
Bona Fide Forensics investigates where equipment fires began, how components failed, and whether observed damage is consistent with the reported loss.
Assignments may involve construction equipment, agricultural machinery, mobile equipment, and stationary machinery.
Common areas of investigation include:
✓ Construction and earthmoving equipment
✓ Tractors and agricultural machinery
✓ Forklifts and material-handling equipment
✓ Generators and engine-driven equipment
✓ Engines and related components
✓ Hydraulic systems and fluid releases
✓ Fuel and lubrication systems
✓ Electrical wiring and power connections
✓ Equipment exposed to fire or water
✓ Reported impact or operational damage
✓ Installation or maintenance issues
OUR APPROACH
Our Equipment Investigation Process
A methodical, evidence-based approach to fire origin, equipment failure, and loss-related damage.
1. Review Loss
Review the reported event, equipment use, service history, and questions the investigation needs to address.
2. Inspect & Document
Record equipment condition, damage patterns, component locations, and relevant evidence before disassembly.
3. Assess Patterns
Evaluate fire patterns, component damage, and system relationships to guide further examination.
4. Analyze Causes
Assess potential ignition sources, failure mechanisms, and contributing conditions against the available evidence.
5. Examine & Test
Conduct or arrange component examinations, disassembly, and appropriate testing while preserving significant evidence.
6. Develop Findings
Explain supported conclusions about fire origin, failure causes, equipment damage, and relevant repair considerations.
EVIDENCE MATTERS
Evidence Preservation & Subrogation Support
Equipment losses may involve product failures, installation issues, maintenance practices, or recent repairs. Preserving relevant components and documenting their original positions can be critical to evaluating these possibilities.
Bona Fide Forensics helps identify and preserve significant evidence before equipment is repaired, dismantled, or released for salvage.
Services may include:
✓ Equipment and component identification
✓ Documentation before removal or disassembly
✓ Evidence collection and preservation
✓ Chain-of-custody documentation
✓ Secure storage of collected components
✓ Coordination of joint examinations
✓ Participation in destructive examinations
✓ Documentation of testing and findings
When potentially responsible parties are identified, examinations can be coordinated to provide an opportunity for their participation.
TECHNICAL EXPERTISE
Engineering Evaluation of Equipment Losses
A failed component may initiate a loss or become damaged as the event progresses. Engineering analysis helps evaluate that sequence and distinguish potential causes from resulting damage.
Our mechanical engineering background supports the examination of interacting equipment systems and the conditions under which they operated.
Areas of evaluation may include:
✓ Fuel, oil, and hydraulic fluid releases
✓ Hot surfaces and potential ignition sources
✓ Electrical connections and wiring damage
✓ Cooling and lubrication failures
✓ Overheating, friction, and seizure
✓ Fractured or deformed components
✓ Hydraulic pressure and connection failures
✓ Fire, heat, and water exposure
✓ Wear and pre-existing deterioration
✓ Maintenance, modifications, and repairs
When needed, the investigation can include detailed measurements, component testing, or specialized laboratory analysis.
DELIVERING RESULTS
Clear, Defensible Findings
Our goal is to explain what occurred, how the equipment was affected, and what the evidence supports.
Depending on the assignment, our findings may address:
✓ The area of fire origin
✓ Potential ignition sources and fire causes
✓ The mechanism of a component failure
✓ The sequence of failure and damage
✓ Consistency with the reported loss
✓ Relevant pre-existing conditions
✓ Maintenance or repair contributions
✓ Affected systems and components
✓ Technical repair or replacement considerations
✓ Questions requiring further examination
✓ Verbal consultation
✓ Written reports
✓ Deposition and litigation support
✓ Expert witness testimony
Services may include verbal consultation, written reports, joint examinations, deposition support, and expert witness testimony. Conclusions reflect the available evidence, with limitations and unresolved questions clearly explained.
MEET KIRK LUMAYE
Experienced Fire Investigator and Forensic Engineer
Bona Fide Forensics combines fire investigation with an engineering approach to equipment failures and damage evaluation.
Investigations are led by Kirk LuMaye, a licensed Professional Engineer and Certified Fire & Explosion Investigator with more than a decade of experience investigating fires, mechanical failures, and property losses.
This combination supports equipment investigations involving engines, fluid systems, electrical components, and questions about how a failure developed or contributed to a loss.
Our mission is simple: Seek the truth through honest and thorough investigation.
- Kirk LuMaye, PE
"
SERVICE AREA
Equipment Investigation Across California and the West
Bona Fide Forensics provides forensic engineering and fire investigation services throughout Northern California and Southern California, with regular travel for assignments in Reno and Northern Nevada.
We also accept engineering and fire investigation assignments throughout Arizona, Oregon, and Washington, and travel as needed to support losses across the western United States.
QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Frequently Asked Questions
READY TO GET STARTED?
Have an Equipment Loss to Investigate?
Early involvement helps preserve components and document equipment condition before repairs, disassembly, or salvage alter the evidence.
Contact Bona Fide Forensics to discuss the fire, failure, or reported damage and the questions you need answered.