Why choose us Ken Legat is a fire investigation expert with three years in the insurance industry as a Fire Origin and Cause Investigator and over 33 years in the New Zealand Police. Ken is qualified as both a structural and rural fire investigator. Ken was until recently employed by IAG New Zealand Ltd as a Fire Origin and Cause Investigator.

His primary role was to conduct Fire Origin and Cause investigations, to attend fire scenes at the request of the different claims teams within IAG New Zealand Limited, to identify and establish the origin and cause and origin of the fire.

Ken was the Fire Investigation Co-ordinator for the Canterbury CIB with the principal objectives being to co-ordinate, supervise or undertake investigations into major and serious fires.

As part of his role as the New Zealand Police Fire investigator he has attended, conducted or co-ordinated more than 250 fire or arson investigations in New Zealand, Samoa, Victoria and Tonga.

Ken has previously given expert evidence on fire investigation, origin and cause in the High Court, District Court and the Coroner's Court in New Zealand. He has also given expert opinion evidence in the Disputes Tribunal and in negotiation of civil cases on behalf of insurance companies in New Zealand.

Overseas investigations

In November 2004, Ken lead the investigation team assisting the Samoan Police, Prison and Fire Service, regarding an investigation at a major fire in SV McKenzie’s warehouse in Fugalei, Samoa.

In November and December 2006, he was the Fire Investigation Co-ordinator for the New Zealand Police, assisting the Tongan Government and Police investigating the fires and arsons in Nuku’alofa, after the riots on 16 November.

Training delivery and professional development

In addition to his fire investigation work, Ken Legat has experience in conducting training courses in fire investigation and preparing written training material.

This training has primarily been for the New Zealand Police and the New Zealand Fire Service in Fire Investigation and includes training the following personnel:

• Detectives on the Advanced Investigators Course
• Detectives Qualifying Course
• Criminal Investigation Trainees
• Scene of Crimes Officers
• New Zealand Fire Service Fire Investigators

Between 2004 and 2010 Ken was responsible for the conducting of the Fire and Arson Investigation Induction Course for the South Island CIB Training Services.

As part of the training delivery and for professional development Ken has set a variety of compartment fires in controlled circumstances and has completely burnt four different structures to study fire growth and fire behaviour.

He has also been involved in the investigation of a large number of vehicle fires and has set a variety of different fires in approximately 30 vehicles while conducting fire investigations, training and investigation testing.