Kansas City Partners Selected to Develop, Revise National Fire Protection Association Standards

Kansas City Partner and Office Managing Attorney Karrie Clinkinbeard has have been appointed to the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) 921 Technical Committee.

NFPA’s 921 document is the Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations, meaning it is the key standard by which investigators’ methodologies are judged within the industry and in a court of law. Courts often apply 921 as a standard when analyzing the adequacy and admissibility of a fire investigator’s work and opinions.

NFPA receives countless applications for the 921 committee, and only a fraction are selected. This year, only 26 principals were selected worldwide for participation on the committee. Clinkinbeard will serve as a member of the principal consensus body responsible for the development and revision of NFPA standards.

Clinkinbeard is also part of an elite group of attorneys accredited as Fire and Explosion Investigators (CFEI), certified by the National Association of Fire Investigators, enabling them to stay on the cutting edge of new developments in fire science.

Clinkinbeard has been a member of Armstrong Teasdale’s Litigation practice group for over 19 years, focusing on fire, explosion and electrocution litigation, toxic torts and catastrophic incidents, product liability, contract disputes, personal injury and life, health and disability matters. She has tried numerous jury cases to verdict in state and federal courts and also achieves successful outcomes for her clients early in litigation through aggressive, targeted pretrial practice. Her numerous successes include her role as co-lead counsel in a furnace explosion case that generated the largest 2014 defense verdict in Missouri.