Davenport says it's hired Chicago-based White Birch Group and SOCOTEC Engineering. The city says it doesn't know how long the investigation will take. But the resulting "cause and origin report" will first be shared with "relevant agencies and oversight authorities" before it's shared with the public.
The manager of White Birch Group is a forensic Architect and Engineer and former firefighter. He investigated a collapse at the 2011 Indiana State Fair. He also has experience in disaster response, post-incident investigations, and urban search and rescue.
SOCOTEC offers services in 24 different categories including Failure Analysis. The company says it focuses "on identifying mechanisms that cause failure or corrosion." SOCOTEC also offers Dispute Resolution including litigation support and investigatory consulting.