CFITrainer.Net Podcast

The IAAI and CFITrainer.Net present these podcasts with a focus on issues relating to fire investigation. With expertise from around the world, the International Association of Arson Investigators produces these podcasts to bring more information and electronic media to fire investigators looking for training, education and general information about fire investigation. Topics include recent technologies, issues in the news, training opportunities, changes in laws and standards and any other topic that might be of interest to a fire investigator or industry professional affected by fire. Information is presented using a combination of original stories and interviews with scientists, leaders in fire investigation from the fire service and the law enforcement community.

Welcome to this edition of the IAAI’s CFITrainer.Net podcast.

Before we get started, we’d like to say thanks to those who have supported us in our endeavor to create CFITrainer and this podcast.

The podcast and CFITrainer.Net are funded by DHS FEMA Fire Prevention and Safety Grants through the Assistance to Firefighter Grant Program.

We’re also supported by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives.

This month, once again, we’re grateful for the support of UL. Having working smoke alarms is critical to public safety. New technology is enabling alarms to be even more effective to better distinguish between smoke from cooking and that from a potentially life-threatening fire.

Learn more about this new technology and how it’s being incorporated into new editions of safety standards by visiting smokealarms.UL.org.

By the way, if you want to support CFITrainer.Net, you can click on the Donate button on the network page and donate yourself. Any donation you make will go directly to the operations or development of new content for CFITrainer.Net. While we’re grateful for our grant awards and partners, we are always working on finding ways to be sustainable. We’re glad you’re here. Let’s get into the podcast.

Following up on our last two podcasts about wildland investigation, we have two interesting new technology developments in wildland fires to share with you, and then we’ll talk to Lester Rich from the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, MD. First, the technology developments related to wildland fires.

During the recent spate of wildfires in California, scientists from San Jose State University’s Fire Weather Research Laboratory have been testing an experimental Doppler radar to see inside wildfire smoke plumes with groundbreaking clarity. It’s enabling a new understanding of turbulence, particle movement, and wind inside wildfire plumes. This new technology allows researchers to better understand the structure of wildfires and how they evolve, particularly wind generated by the fire and the spin-out of embers that spark new fires, two things that current models cannot predict.

A better understanding of the mechanics of wildfires might lead to more accurate forecasts and thus earlier and better warning systems as well as more efficient and accurate deployment of firefighting resources. Doppler radar uses the reflection of microwaves off solid objects to derive data on their size and motion. This new system specifically for wildfires uses the Ka band, which is better suited to detecting very small particles like ash. It also scans faster and at a higher resolution than traditional Doppler and LiDAR. This experimental wildfire Doppler is small enough to be mounted on a vehicle and thus can be driven directly to where the fire is.

In other technology news, a team of researchers at Stanford University has developed a non-toxic, biodegradable, cellulose-based, gel-like fluid that helps common wildland fire retardants last much longer. When fire retardant and the booster gel are sprayed together on vegetation, the gel helps the retardant last the entire fire season because it is resistant to the effects of weather and stops the evaporation of moisture in the retardant that renders it ineffective, which can happen in a short period of time if it’s deployed near the heat of an active wildfire. Although the gel will eventually degrade, that process takes months, and therefore reapplication will be needed much less often, saving time and resources and significantly reducing the amount of retardant needed to provide long-lasting protection.

The gel-retardant combination could be particularly effective in preventative treatment of fire-prone areas, including those frequented by humans (who cause a high percentage of wildfires) and areas under power lines. The gel-retardant combination could also be used to slow or stop the spread of an existing fire by keeping flying embers from sparking new spot fires. The gel can be applied using existing agricultural and aircraft-based spraying equipment. In tests conducted with CalFire, the treatment including the new gel provided complete fire protection even after an inch of rain; without the gel, the same fire retardant provides little to no protection under the same conditions. Further tests on high fire-risk roadside areas are currently underway. The gel has been recently branded as a product called Fortify and is now commercially available. Be sure to check out the links on this podcast’s page to source articles so you can read more of the technical details and the story about how the idea for the gel came to the lead researcher and how his team made it real.

Now let’s take a few minutes to learn about what is going on at the NFA!

With us today is Lester Rich, an IAAI-CFI who is a Training Specialist and Curriculum Manager for the National Fire Academy at the U.S. Fire Administration. Lester is also a retired ATF Special Agent/Certified Fire Investigator and was a member of the National Response Team for ten years. Let’s head over now to The National Emergency Training Center, or NETC, in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

ROD AMMON: So, we’re here in Emmitsburg at the National Fire Academy with Lester Rich. I just wanted to say thank you very much, Lester, for being with us.

LESTER RICH: Excellent. Thank you for coming out.

ROD AMMON: We’ll jump right into it and talk a little bit about your background.

LESTER RICH: Okay. So, I am the training specialist for the Fire and Investigative Sciences Program here at the NFA. That encompasses all the fire investigation and forensic science, courtroom testimony courses, pretty much all aspects of the curriculum that relate fire investigation.

ROD AMMON: So, tell me how you got started here at the NFA. What brought you in?

LESTER RICH: I was – I’ve always been interested in the training environment. So, I started out as the fire marshal in Watauga County up in North Carolina and then went to work for Charlotte Fire Department as an investigator. That’s where I got involved with ATF, found out a little bit about their fire investigation responsibilities. So, I applied, was selected there by ATF. They sent me to Charleston, so I was there for a while, and then I took a deferred retirement from them, started my own fire investigation company with a couple other people. So, we ran that for 10 years, and then this position opened up, and I was kind of interested to get back in training. And so that’s how I ended up back up here and – or not back up here. That’s how I ended up here in Maryland.

ROD AMMON: That’s a pretty interesting path. It’s – I’m not used to hearing people take the break, go private, and come back.

LESTER RICH: Right, and it was good for me at the time, and actually for this particular position, I think it was a fortuitous that I did that because it kind of gives me a perspective of both sides of the coin.

ROD AMMON: So, tell me about how you create curriculum.

LESTER RICH: Sure. So about – specifically here at the academy, about two years ago, we had a curriculum review. So, we brought in people from all across the country review the existing curriculum. They were in here for about a week. I had academics, practitioners, instructors just to – as many people as I could get to come look at the curriculum. So out of that came this, and so what we’re doing is we just created a overall broad curriculum. We sort of created two bookends in the curriculum, so I have the Fire Investigation Essentials course, which is 772. All the numbers changed. Some of the names changed. All the content changed.

ROD AMMON: Why did you change the numbers?

LESTER RICH: So, the number change is how the – it’s basically administratively so that the academy designates that as a new course, a completely different course from what it was. So, the old 200 numbers were archived and – but that number can’t go away. You can’t recycle it, so we ended up with new numbers moving to the 700s.

ROD AMMON: I think you guys are just doing it to make yourselves look smarter.

LESTER RICH: It is – 700 is a lot smarter than 200, sure. So, we moved to the 700s, and we’ve got the Essentials course, which is – well, there’s a First Responder course, which is very similar to the video like IAAI made. It basically deals with issues that affect the first responder as related to fire investigation or responding to fires, protecting the scene, preserving evidence, identifying evidence, some things like that. So in between those two bookends, we’ve got an electrical course. We have a Technical Aspects course, and we have a Expert Witness Courtroom Testimony course. And then also we are working on a online instructor led or a mediated report writing course, so in that particular course, the student will take it wherever they are, anticipate that course will run about six weeks, and it will really delve into a writing an expert report, writing a more complex report.

ROD AMMON: I know there’s a lot of people who are going to appreciate that.

LESTER RICH: I think it will be very popular once we get it up and running.

ROD AMMON: I think there’s a lot of people who read reports who are going to really appreciate that, too. I know that when I talk to people, there’s – it’s like in so many industries writing, writing well is so important.

LESTER RICH: Right, and it’s sort of a unique situation in that we introduce that subject in Essentials, but there’s just not time in that two weeks to really delve into the writing. And then it pops up again in the technical and obviously – or not obviously, but one of the changes for the new Courtroom Testimony course, we developed all new cold-case fire scenes. And so those fire scenes will now get presented to the student on their arrival here, and during the first week of the class they will actually craft or create their own expert report. And that’s the report they’ll use to testify from the second week of the class. And the other thing we’re kind of excited about is we expanded that to include three testimony opportunities now. So, a student will have a CV, sort of like a Daubert Challenge the first part of the week. They then will have a deposition about that same case file, and then towards the end of the week, there will be a mock trial where each student will also testify in court about that same case file that they’ve been working with all week.

ROD AMMON: It’s pretty in depth. You’ve done a lot of work.

LESTER RICH: It’s a lot of stuff. It’s a lot of material. That’s for sure.

ROD AMMON: It’s interesting to me and I’ve been around a little bit with you guys for quite some time now, and when I think about fire investigation and the USFA or NFA for the academy here, I am thinking, wow, you’ve really expanded. I think of usually the NFA as being more about other aspects of firefighting. Has it expanded more in fire investigation?

LESTER RICH: It has in – well, I – yes. So, one of the kind of interesting parts of that, and this is a little urban history or oral history that I’ve been told, so that the NFA was actually offering fire investigation courses very early on. Like some of the very first courses that the Fire Academy offered were in fire investigation and arson. So that program has been entrenched in the NFA since its inception. This is a – I think this is a reboot of that in that it’s more cohesive now, and this new curriculum is more in line with 921, 1033, with Kirk’s and the other books and publications that are out there. And it also seems like it’s in line with things that other training organizations are doing.

So, like with IAAI, they’re partners with us in this adventure up here that we have. These courses count towards IAAI like the FIT certification for essentials or for – to meet the requirement for the courtroom testimony. That course will. Obviously, ATF has been here for probably 10 or 12 years since – ago that they got really heavily invested in participating with the NFA and really dumping a lot of resources into this program. So, when ATF got involved, that was kind of the turning point where the program really started to swing towards science and education and research and testing and with the fire research lab. And then as this curriculum development starts to unfold, we picked up some other partners. We picked up Underwriters Laboratory with contributing content, contributing expertise, writing some of the stuff for us, same thing with ATF’s fire research lab. We can get engineers up here to instruct. They’ll assist with that content development as well.

The other partnership we’ve got is with Homeland Security’s Science and Technology directorate. So, I don’t know a lot of – some firefighters might be familiar with them. They have focus groups. They look at designing additional equipment or things that would assist the first responder. And it’s sort of a – it’s a DHS program that sort of fast tracks that development and then tries to get it to the streets. So I think that’s probably one of the big things that’s changed in the last two or three years is – and especially with the rewrite is the inclusion of some more experts, some more subject matter experts, some additional partners to help really elevate the level of what we're doing here.

ROD AMMON: And you’re doing blended learning as well. I mean with this online stuff that you’re doing yourself and with the partnership with CFITrainer, which obviously we all appreciate very much.

LESTER RICH: Yes, yes. We appreciate that, too.

ROD AMMON: Without saying thank you from the IAAI would be remiss. You’re also doing some things outside. Want to talk a little bit about that? That’s expanded as well.

LESTER RICH: It’s a lot of concrete. Yes, we have expanded again. As best I could tell, the original burn cells were dropped in there sometime in ‘86, ‘87 maybe. So, we now have the flashover ventilation demo burn building. We have a complex burn building, which is a 15 by 40. Right now, it’s set up like a townhouse. It’s configurable. The walls are movable inside so we can do multi-room burns in that structure. And then this summer we just completed construction of eight. They’re attached, but they’re individual burn cells.

One thing we were able to do is create some different layouts. So, they’re all 10 by 14, but we were able to move the doors in different places. Some of the cells has multiple windows. We have – one of the cells, the windows are different heights so we can get an inflow and outflow, kind of simulate flow path there. Some of the windows are really close together. Some of them are farther apart. We tried to really, as much as we could, create variations for ventilation. It’s a great learning opportunity for students because even if they came back, if they were here one month and came back the next month, they’ll get completely different fires essentially with – depending on the layout, the furniture, where it was set, that kind of stuff.

ROD AMMON: That’s awesome. I – it’s so funny. When we started out, you made it sound like, oh yeah, we’ve been doing this for a long time, and then you start talking, and quite frankly, it seems to me you’re picking up a lot of momentum. You’ve got a lot of fresh information and content being put out there and structure. So now I’ve always got to push a little bit more. What’s the future like? What are you seeing?

LESTER RICH: It’s – I see this as really the demand increasing as far as wanting this course offered more often or the ability to put that together. That’s one of the things we’re talking about with Chief Hoover and the administration here is like, how do we really meet that need? Because it’s – I mean, if I – if we have the best-case scenario, I can put about 800 or so students a year through each of those courses.

The other part of that is the instructor cadre that we have here. So, we have a combination, like I said, of ATF. So, they’re here on campus all the time. We usually get a visiting a CFI, so ATF will bring one of their CFIs from the field in to contribute to the course, which is really good for the students. One, it lets them see an ATF agent, and then they develop that relationship as well. We also have expanded that now to include like the Maryland Fire Marshal’s Office. So, they’re bringing a canine in for the practical exercise.

So now our students have access to a dog. Some of them use the dog all the time. Some of them maybe never had a dog at their department. So that expands. So, really, it’s – I see the future as just an increase in the level of the instructor and that group or that partnership that we’re leveraging with UL and ATF and the fire research lab and even our contract instructors. I’ve got engineers on the contract instructor staff now, and we’re really trying to bolster that.

ROD AMMON: I remember talking to Superintendent Hoover, and she said, you’ve got to get out of here and talk to Lester, and I’m glad we did.

LESTER RICH: I’m sure glad you guys came out. I do. I think it’s the – really that’s probably the biggest takeaway is the partnerships that are nurtured here. They’re started elsewhere, but then when they come here, we have instructors from IAAI, ATF. Like I said, we named them all, but just the fact that it’s a sort of incubator for ideas, and we get people from different – law enforcement, private sector, private research, government research, science and technology.

It’s just a really unique sort of academic environment where you can kind of leverage that, and people have good ideas, and they’ll be like, hey, what if we try this in the burn cell? We’ll be like, let’s try that. That’s really probably one of the most interesting aspects of it is just getting all that group of people together, and we often – we don’t always agree on everything, but at the end of the day, it’s a great – it produces a great product for the student.

ROD AMMON: Well, I didn’t finish the sentence before, but thank you.

LESTER RICH: You’re welcome. You’re welcome.

ROD AMMON: That was what I had started to say on behalf IAAI and CFITrainer and everybody else. We really appreciate it.

LESTER RICH: You’re welcome. You’re welcome. Thank you, guys, for coming out.

ROD AMMON: Once again, Lester, thanks for joining us today, and we hope everyone listening will take a few minutes to use the link on this podcast page to check out NFA’s current courses for fire investigators.

Before we wrap up today, I want to give a special shout out to Cathy Dipierro who researches and writes a ton of content for our podcasts and for CFITrainer.Net modules. Thanks for what you do, Kathy.

Thanks for joining us today on the podcast. We wish you all a safe holiday season. We’ll see you next time on CFITrainer.Net. For the IAAI and CFITrainer.Net. I’m Rod Ammon.

2023
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June 2020 - June '20 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. In this month's podcast we interview Doug Byron, President and Senior Forensic Chemist from the FAST lab about fats and oils and spontaneous combustion, and how they are involved in fire investigation. After our interview with Doug, we offer some thoughts on your job and the COVID-19 situation.
May 2020 - May '20 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. Join us this month for a new podcast where we talk briefly about online learning that is available and then we speak with Dr. Peter Mansi, Past President of the IAAI.
April 2020 - April '20 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month on the Podcast we interview President Barry M. Grimm from the IAAI and talk to Wayne Miller, Author of "Burn Boston Burn -The largest arson case in the history of the country.
March 2020 - March '20 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month on the Podcast we talk about some resources for COVID, updates from the IAAI and talk with a fire Marshall in New Hampshire about challenges in their region related to Sober Homes.
February 2020 - February '20 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month’s podcast follows along with our technology theme. We look at social media’s effect on some fire investigations and then we talk with Mike Parker about his work with social media while at the LA County Sheriff’s Department.
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December 2019 - December '19 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. In under ten minutes this podcast offers a review of 2019 milestones and new content and features that you might have missed. We also give you a quick preview of what to expect in 2020.
October 2019 Podcast - October '19 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. In this podcast episode, we’re back for the second part of the CCAI live burn training event — the actual burn and post-fire.
September 2019 Podcast - September '19 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month we travel to San Luis Obispo where we were hosted by the California chapter of the IAAI (CCAI). We had a rare opportunity to experience what it’s like to set up this training and experience a wildland burn in California. There was a lot to learn!
August 2019 Podcast - August '19 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month's CFITrainer.Net podcast is under 15 minutes and offers information about fires in electric vehicles and what you need to know.
May 2019 Podcast - May '19 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. In this month's CFITrainer.Net podcast, you'll hear from ATF Special Agent Chad Campanell, who will discuss how ATF can assist state and local fire investigators with training and investigations, ATF resources available to fire investigators, and ATF's support of CFITrainer.Net. Also, we summarize the final report of a multi-fatality fire at a senior living community in Pennsylvania, where ATF cooperated with state and local investigators to reach conclusions.
April 2019 Podcast - April '19 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. There are two new additions to CFITrainer.Net! A new podcast with Dan Madrzykowski from UL speaking about ventilation and Fire Flow, and a new module called “Fire Flow Analysis”.
March 2019 Podcast - March '19 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month's podcast includes updates from the IAAI related to the election, the upcoming ITC, and a new website specifically about evidence collection. After the updates, you will also hear some news stories related to fire investigation.
February 2019 Podcast - February '19 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month take 10 mins and hear some fire investigation and IAAI news.
January 2019 Podcast - January '19 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month we’re looking back on some of the biggest issues in fire investigation in 2018.
November 2018 Podcast - November '18 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month we talk with Jeff Pauley from the IAAI’s Health and Safety Committee. Jeff is an IAAI-CFI and the Chairman of the Health and Safety Committee. In this podcast, he talks about ways to reduce exposure to carcinogens related to fire investigation. By listening, you will learn about ways to reduce your risks, learn about new resources that are available to assist you, and research that is coming soon.
October 2018 Podcast - October '18 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month meet and learn about IAAI’s new Executive Director, Scott Stephens and plans for the future. After that interview, hear some wild stories from the national news related to fire investigation.
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Short stories related to fire investigation - June '18 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. Join us for a brief Podcast that includes five minutes of short stories related to fire investigation.
What you need to know about Arson Awareness week - April '18 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month we welcome Tonya Hoover, the Superintendent of the National Fire Academy. Superintendent Hoover came to the NFA with more than 20 years of experience in local and state government, most recently as the California State Fire Marshal.
Growing pot and earning Bitcoin can start fires? - March '18 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. In this month’s podcast, hear a story about how the Bitcoin business might be causing fires? What similarities are there between Pot growers and now Bitcoin miners?
Training related to wildland fire investigation - February '18 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month’s podcast highlights new training related to wildland fire investigation featuring an interview with Paul Way, and this year’s International Training Conference. We also have a pretty wild story before we wrap up. Birds starting fires?
Smart homes and digital data gathering issues - December '17 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. In this podcast, we discuss two topics on the technology and forensics cutting edge. Michael Custer of Kilgore Engineering, Inc. and retired Special Agent Tully Kessler share some knowledge and give us a taste of the classes that they will be presenting at ITC 2018.
Discussion with Writer Monica Hesse - September '17 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. In this podcast, you will hear some great news related to the IAAI and CFITrainer.Net and then we have an interview with Monica Hesse, the writer of a new book called "American Fire: Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land."
Discussion with Criminalist- John DeHaan - June '17 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month on the CFITrainer.Net podcast, we talk to Criminalist, fire investigation expert and Author of "Kirk’s Fire Investigation", John DeHaan.
The Ghost Ship - May '17 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. For this podcast, we hear from a retired Captain of the Long Beach Fire Department, Pat Wills. Pat has been in the fire service for 37 years. He has been a leader and an investigator, now he is an educator speaking around the country about the importance of code enforcement.
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CFITrainer Podcast- A profile with an IAAI-CFI® - February '17 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. Join us this month for our podcast as we interview IAAI member and CFI, Jeff Spaulding from Middletown, Ohio. Jeff talks about his work in both the public and private sector and then he shares an interesting story about how a pacemaker is helping in an investigation.
An interview with Dr. James Quintiere - December '16 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. In a discussion with Dr. James Quintiere, we learn about some of his work in fire sciences, a bit about his research, his opinions related to the World Trade Center investigation and what he thinks is important to fire investigation as a scholarly leader in our field.
Fire Investigation After the Flood Podcast - November '16 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month we talk to Dan Hebert, an IAAI, CFI about "How Floods affect Fire Investigation."
September 2016 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - September '16 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month we talk about the recent changes in the FAA's regulations for commercial and public sector use of UAS or "Drones".
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July 2016 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - July '16 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month we talk to Fire Marshall, Ken Helms of the Enid, OK. Fire Department about his team winning the Fire Investigator of the Year award.
March 2016 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - March '16 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month's fire investigation podcast from the IAAI's CFITrainer.Net focuses on the Youth Firesetting Information Repository and Evaluation System, which is called YFIRES for short.
February 2016 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - February '16 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month's fire investigation podcast from the IAAI's CFITrainer.Net focuses on what you need to do to ensure the integrity of samples sent to the lab. A conversation with Laurel Mason of Analytical Forensic Associates.
September 2015 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - September '15 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. Our podcast related to the legalization of recreational marijuana and its effect on fire investigation was one of the most popular podcasts ever on CFITrainer.Net. This month’s podcast is a follow up with one of our listeners from California who is an investigator doing training on this very topic.
August 2015 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - August '15 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month's podcast is about NFIRS where we interview the Executive Director of The National Association of State Fire Marshals Fire Research and Education Foundation, Jim Narva.
July 2015 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - July '15 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. In this special edition of podcast we’re going to meet the newest IAAI Investigator of the Year, Andrea Buchanan.
May 2015 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - May '15 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month's Arson Investigator podcast from IAAI & CFITrainer interviews Jason McPherson from MSD Engineering to talk about some of these new technology tools.
April 2015 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - April '15 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month's Arson Investigator podcast from IAAI & CFITrainer interviews Dave Perry, a lawyer in Colorado discussing what fire chiefs, fire investigators, and the legal system are seeing in a state with legalized cannabis in regard to fire cause involving marijuana.
February 2015 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - Feb '15 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month's Arson Investigator podcast from IAAI & CFITrainer interviews Mike Schlatman and Steve Carman who are both successful fire investigators and now business owners who have transitioned from the public to the private sector.
December 2014 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - December '14 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month's podcast interviews Steve Avato from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives explaining the process of elimination and how it is a critical part of the scientific method.
June 2014 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - June '14 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month's podcast interviews the 2014 Investigator of the Year.
April 2014 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - April '14 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month's podcast interviews with Don Robinson, Special Agent in Charge with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Currently stationed at the National Center for Explosives Training and Research, located at the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama.
January 2014 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - January '14 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month's podcast takes a look inside the process of revising NFPA 921 and NFPA 1033.
October 2013 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - October '13 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month's podcast focuses on the fire research work of Underwriters’ Laboratories, better known as UL.
February 2013 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - February '13 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month we have an interview with George Codding who returned from a recent trip to Saipan and gives us a closer look at the international activities of the International Association of Arson Investigators
Mid Year 2012 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - Mid Year '12 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This podcast features a mid-year update on the IAAI’s new initiatives and ways for you to get more involved with the organization.
September 2012 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - September '12 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month's podcast features an in-depth look at the recent live-burn fire experiments exercise conducted on Governor’s Island, New York by the New York City Fire Department, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Underwriters Laboratory, and the Trust for Governor’s Island.
August 2012 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - August '12 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This is a special edition of the CFITrainer.Net podcast previewing the ITC 2013. There’s a new name for the Annual Training Conference from the IAAI now called the International Training conference.
April 2012 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - April '12 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month's podcast features an interview with Chief Ernest Mitchell, Jr., the US Fire Administrator. Also we will discuss the upcoming ATC, Annual Training Conference, from the IAAI about to happen in Dover, Delaware.
March 2012 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - March '12 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month's podcast features an interview with ATF Special Agent Billy Malagassi out of the Tulsa, OK Field Office about investigating fires in clandestine drug labs. We also report on NIST’s findings in the Charleston Sofa Super Store fire and IAAI’s Evidence Collection Practicum.
December 2011 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - December '11 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month's podcast features one of the presenters from this year’s IAAI ATC and see how a single photo broke the Provo Tabernacle fire case.
October 2011 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - October '11 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month's podcast features an interview with Deborah Nietch, the new Executive Director of IAAI.
July 2011 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - July '11 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month's podcast features an interview with Tom Fee discussing details of investigating wildland fires.
June 2011 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - June '11 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month's podcast features a lot of exciting things that are happening at CFITrainer.Net
May 2011 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - May '11 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month highlights the IAAI ATC in Las Vegas and the third installment in the "It Could Happen to You" series.
ATC 2011 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - This podcast discusses the upcoming IAAI Annual Training Conference and National Arson Awareness Week.
April 2011 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - April '11 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This podcast announces the release of the program, The First Responder’s Role in Fire Investigation, which teaches first responders how to make critical observations and take important scene preservation actions at a fire scene.
March 2011 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - March '11 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month’s podcast features some of the instructors from the upcoming 2011 Annual Training Conference, to provide a preview of the courses they will be presenting.
February 2011 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - February '11 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month’s podcast features an update on fire grants and an interview with Steve Austin
January 2011 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - January '11 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month’s podcast features the release of the new edition of Fire Investigator: Principles and Practice to NFPA 921 and 1033, new flammability requirements from UL for pre-lit artificial Christmas trees and a growing fire problem in Dubai with factories turned into worker dormitories.
December 2010 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - December '10 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month’s podcast focuses on home candle fires, lightning punctures in gas piping, and respiratory diseases in the fire services.
November 2010 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - November '10 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month’s podcast features research findings for structural stability in engineered lumber by UL, the ban on antifreeze in residential sprinkler systems, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s investigation of Jeep Grand Cherokee fuel tanks.
October 2010 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - October '10 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month’s podcast features high-profile fire cases, why people leave stovetop cooking unattended and how new sensors under development may improve fire research.
September 2010 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - September '10 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month’s podcast features how to use the ATF’s Bomb Arson Tracking System, IAAI Foundation grants, electrical fires and indoor marijuana cultivation.
August 2010 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - August '10 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month’s podcast focuses on social media as a fire investigation tool, a potential problem with modular home glued ceilings and research from Underwriters Laboratories on the effects of ventilation on structure fires.
July 2010 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - July '10 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month’s podcast is a roundtable on some of the latest research and technical activities that impact fire investigation, featuring Daniel Madrzykowski (moderator), Steven Kerber, and Dr. Fred Mowrer.
June 2010 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - June '10 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month’s podcast discusses career advancement, budget cuts and their impact on fire investigation, and the 2010-2016 ATF Strategic Plan.
ATC 2010 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - Follow-up and Interviews from Orlando. Learn about the conference, hear what attendees had to say.
May 2010 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - May '10 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. The second in our safety series called "It Could Happen To You." Our Long-Term Exposure roundtable is moderated by Robert Schaal.
April 2010 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - April '10 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. The first of our two-part safety series called "It Could Happen To You." Our roundtable is moderated by Robert Schaal.
March 2010 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - March '10 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month’s podcast features a conversation about legislative affairs affecting the fire service with Bill Webb, Executive Director of the Congressional Fire Services Research Institute.
February 2010 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - February '10 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month’s podcast features our interview with a commercial kitchen’s fire expert about what you need to know when you work a commercial kitchen fire.
January 2010 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - January '10 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month’s podcast features a look at preliminary research on corrosion caused by Chinese drywall, a new database focused on fires in historic buildings, a warning on blown-in insulation, and the launch of the new firearson.com web site.
December 2009 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - December '09 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month’s podcast features cooking fires, highlights of the International Code Council’s Annual Meeting on code requirements, including requiring residential sprinkler systems, and an easy way to keep up with recalls from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.
November 2009 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - November '09 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month’s podcast features chimney fires, including recent news on surgical flash fires, a proposed national arsonist registry, lightning research and an innovation in personal protective equipment.
October 2009 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - October '09 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month’s podcast is devoted to Fire Prevention Week.
September 2009 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - September '09 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month’s podcast features the relationship between climate conditions and fire risk, new research on formulating fireproof walls and the latest in IAAI news.
August 2009 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - August '09 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month takes a look at the dangerous combination of summer heat and oily rags, the rise in vacant home fires, and preview research underway on Australia’s devastating "Black Saturday" brush fires.
July 2009 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - July '09 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month features a look at outdoor grill fires, a fatal fire at a homeless camp in Southern NJ, new NIST research on human behavior during building fires, and IAAI news.
June 2009 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - June '09 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month’s podcast features live reports from the 2009 IAAI Annual Training Conference held in May.
May 2009 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - May '09 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This podcast is dedicated to National Arson Awareness Week.
April 2009 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - April '09 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month’s podcast features the NFPA 921 chapter on marine fire investigations and the myth and reality of static electricity as a source of ignition.
March 2009 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - March '09 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month focuses on the rise of the hybrid vehicle and what its unique engineering means for the investigation of vehicle fires, the rash of devastating arson fires in Coatesville, Pennsylvania from December 2008 to February 2009, and news from IAAI.
January 2009 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - January '09 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month’s podcast focuses on the deepening financial crisis in the US and arson for profit fires, how going green may pose a fire hazard and see how rope lighting may be a source of ignition, and IAAI’s Expert Witness Courtroom Testimony course.
December 2008 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - December '08 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month’s podcast features Christmas tree fires, changes to critical fire investigation publications, the weak economy’s impact on home fires, wind’s effect on structure fires, and ATC 2009.