CFITrainer.net surpasses 18,000 members!

CFITrainer.net now reaches more than 18,000 members and offers an assortment of investigative topics ranging from vacant buildings, fatal fires, complex fire scenes, evidence collection, motor vehicle fires, scene safety, the scientific method and much more. Currently, the network has more than 20 available programs and has delivered more than 100,000 hours of credit. New modules are currently in development. Webinars and podcasts are also available to serve more immediate or portable needs of the community.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and The Insurance Committee for Arson Control (ICAC) serve as partners with the IAAI in continuing the valuable and extensive creation of programs on CFITrainer.net now and in the future. Stonehouse Media Incorporated®, an electronic media company from N.J., partnered with the IAAI to create www.CFITrainer.net, by taking advantage of an existing online platform created for the medical industry. Using high-definition video, film, graphics, animation and interactivity, Stonehouse Media has been training first responders for ten years.

Recently, Ken Finley, the president of IAAI expressed his gratitude for the complete support of the Department of Homeland Security and United States Fire Administration. "Together with DHS and USFA, we have poured an electrified foundation for online learning that has delivered great returns on taxpayer dollars. This online training and education will help Americans be safer by improving prevention and prosecuting arson".

Much of the success of CFITrainer.net has stemmed from the marketing and promotional efforts that the IAAI and Stonehouse Media have conducted to inform others about CFITrainer.net. Such initiatives have included seminars at the IAAI's Annual Training Conference, trade show booths at industry shows, national outreach via IAAI state chapters, construction of a CFITrainer.net promotional and excerpts DVD, and putting together a meeting-in-a-box (informational pieces on CFITrainer.net, investigator rulers and promo DVDs) for IAAI instructors. Search engine optimization has also been very important to the outreach, with over 30% of the audience coming straight from the web.

Most recently, the IAAI and Stonehouse Media worked to integrate the IAAI's live classroom training seminars into CFITrainer.net. By creating a ticketing process, students and instructors can now set-up and take tests after becoming a member of CFITrainer.net and entering in the pin number they receive at the seminar. This new feature is allowing more IAAI members to learn about CFITrainer.net and experience its user friendly testing features, and browse the available online programs.

"I am very excited that we have such a great success online, but we have only just begun. Now we are receiving a wave of interest from those in higher education in colleges and universities nationwide. In the future, we will be integrating our online courses with more advanced courses that can only be delivered in person. The cfitrainer.net system is already helping to build tests and track live training on a state and local basis", said Ken Finley, President of the International Association of Arson Investigators.

The grant for phase five of CFITrainer.net has just been awarded and there are plans to grow and update the network and its content based on the needs of the fire investigation community. Future programs are being determined by the IAAI Board of Directors with guidance from the CFITrainer Steering Committee. The IAAI is passionate about the training and education being delivered on CFITrainer.net and anticipates membership and interest in the program will continue to soar as others become aware of this valuable and free training tool.

For more information, visit www.CFITrainer.net or contact the IAAI at 1-800-468-4224 or via the Web at www.firearson.com.

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