3rd December 1999

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A former Coleraine man has been involved in the investigation of some of the major recent fires and explosions in the United States, using expertise he developed at the University of Ulster.

Gareth Burton, who is a former pupil of Coleraine Academical Institution, now works for a leading forensic engineering company based in Houston in Texas.

He completed his Masters Degree in Fire Safety Engineering at the Northern Ireland Fire Safety Engineering Research Centre, which is based on the University of Ulster site in Carrickfergus, and is now completing his doctorate there.

His working life is also consumed with fire. He has been involved in the investigation of several large multi-million dollar fires and explosions.

"We also had to investigate recently a fire on board an aircraft similar to the plane in which John Kennedy Junior was killed.

"Much of my work involves the forensic investigation of scenes of fires and explosions .The investigation of each particular incident can vary from a simple laboratory examination of a piece of equipment which is alleged to have malfunctioned, to a full-scale investigation spanning weeks or months."

Gareth's company also runs a fire testing and research centre tucked away in a rural location where they can set up test fires and explosions:

"Since taking part in such research, I have gained a tremendous respect for fire and explosions, realising that under particular circumstances, ordinary objects within our homes such as kitchen stoves and gas fuelled barbecues can prove deadly within an extremely short period of time if used incorrectly."

Gareth even devotes some of his spare time to fire: he is involved with his local fire rescue department and has recently been appointed to the position of its Rescue Officer

His devotion to his profession is being recognised: Gareth was recently awarded the National Fire Protection Associations David B Gratz scholarship for his achievements and leadership skills.

He has also won scholarships from the UK based Forensic Science Laboratory and the United States based National Fire Protection Association for his Doctorate.

Despite his success, Gareth says there are some things about life in Coleraine that cannot be replaced:

"The excellent weather in Houston is unfortunately accompanied by extremely high humidity during the summer months. This can be almost unbearable at times and is a big difference from Coleraine's climate."

One of the other problems I have encountered is that I have been unable to find a shop which sells some good old soda bread."

For further information, please contact:

Press Office Department of Communication and Development
Telephone: 028 9036 6178
Email: pressoffice@ulster.ac.uk