Here at ATC 2010 in Orlando, we’ve had an opportunity to speak to people from all over the world. Some of the comments that we will get today will relate to reflections of what they learned this week, things that are important to the fire investigator, why they’re members of the IAAI, some of the favorite courses and things that they’ve learned this week, and the importance of networking and some of the certifications and designations that are part of improving yourself as a fire investigator.

This is one of my training and education opportunities. I think it’s an extremely important thing for continuing education within the fire investigation industry. This is a fantastic venue to come to for that type of training because we have the availability to gather information here that we might not be able to get somewhere else because of the input that the international has by bringing in international speakers.

I’ve been in this service 30 years, and as far as sitting down, talking with somebody, learning how another investigator or another agency approaches a fire scene, I mean, absolutely, we take that information back, we use it, we expand on it and go.

The fellowship … for us is invaluable due to the fact that we’re in eight states. So to be able to meet certain folks, and just a minute ago I just met someone from New Jersey I’ve never met before, and we have two offices in New Jersey, so it’s always good to find out there’s other people you can call on if we need private investigators.

I enjoy … taking his class because it’s an interesting case study of how not to screw an investigation up, and it was very interesting. He had some good points.

Probably one of the favorite courses that I’ve taken here was with Dr. Quintiere and Bobby Schaal. It was the fire modeling course, so yeah, it’s, again, something that you just don’t get anywhere else because of the level of the expertise that is provided here.

I’ll tell you what, there’s so much being offered, and you kind of wish you had two of you so you could send one guy to one class and the other, but I really enjoyed the Lentini course, I enjoyed the Quintiere course and also the photography course.

The CFI designation and the efforts that this organization has gone through to improve the quality of the individual that gets that designation is second to none. More and more court systems are recognizing the importance and the necessity of having that certification, and the continuing efforts by this organization to maintain that credibility, maintain that cutting edge training and the testing that’s required to maintain that certification speaks volumes about the quality of not only the certification itself, but the investigators that are able to acquire that certification.

Well the IAAI has had a certification program based on NFPA 1033, the standard on professional qualification for fire investigators since 1983. That certification has been accredited, which answers the question who certifies the certifier. It’s very satisfying that the IAAI has been ahead of the curve when it comes to fire investigations and the forensic sciences.

Well Rod, my interest is primary of vehicle fires, and this is the place to come to learn about vehicle fires. The presentation was absolutely magnificent, I’ve learned so much. I thought I knew a great deal, but when I came here, there’s more to learn. If you want to develop your workforce, your individuals within that workforce and bring the best out in them, then you should be sending them to IAAI ATC training every year if possible. If they’re specializing, there is something here for you.

I mean, I’ve been at a number of ATCs and there is a progressive improvement. Clearly, the product has gotten better, the quality of the training is improved, and I think the focus has now gone back to a membership focus. We’re a little bit more aware that we need to take on board the developments not only in terms of science, but the currency of competency. This is not a junker. We start class at 8 in the morning. You’ve got to be up at 7 to get yourself together. So it’s a day’s work.

For me it’s very nice to be a student here because I have to learn sometime, to learn and to be a student and to know what are the concepts, how other fire investigators are working all over the world.

I’m learning so much, and there’s so many different things to choose from. Granted, I’m only doing the fundamentals, but there’s so many others out there, and for somebody in my shoes I’m going to need that. And even five years from now when I know a whole lot more, you still need those refreshers and things that oh yeah, I remember that, but I had forgotten, so I think it’s just really important that this continues. People think that right now that I am laying by the pool drinking drinks with umbrellas, and I have literally been in class from eight o’clock in the morning till 5 o’clock at the end of the class with, of course, our lunch breaks, but it’s been constant training and you don’t want to miss it either because there’s so much information.

I like the mobile home fires and vehicle fire-1 and also just the digital photography is really interesting. I love taking pictures and I’m learning more than I knew about my camera.

If you’re not training right now, if you’re not having concurrent training, if you’re not still progressing forward in the training realm, you’re going to be left behind. Supervisors, administrators need to understand that, and they have to realize the importance of training consistently throughout the careers of their employees. With the recent Supreme Court decisions, if you’re using what we call the old wives’ tales, or if you’re using outdated information, if you’re using the art of fire investigation still, the courts will probably not allow you and should not allow you to testify as an expert in our field. You could learn a lot through distance learning. Like our CFItrainer.net platform teaches some of the best quality instructions, and you’re getting great information, but only the tip of the iceberg. When you come here, it’s two to four hour classes, in depth classes, topical classes taught by the best instructors of the world. You can sit through classes, and if you don’t understand it, at the end of the day, you could take the instructor aside and say hey, I’d like to talk to you about this more later, this evening, over dinner or when we have a break, and you get to be involved in the current conversation about what’s happening in this world.

You know, like any conference that we’ve ever attended or any program that we’ve ever put on, we find that really networking could be the most positive thing you take away from it. So it think yes, you can enjoy yourself and you should enjoy yourself while you’re away. Your family should enjoy themselves if they attend with you, but it’s a training and education process, it’s a networking session, and I think all these things are extremely important to expand your own horizon in your own field.

Well that’s it from ATC 2010 here in Orlando. Save the date for next year. ATC is in Las Vegas 2011, May 1st through 6th.