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.

Rod Ammon: Welcome to the CFITrainer.Net Podcast. First, we want to acknowledge the tragic home fire deaths in the first month of this year, particularly the devastating fires on January 5th in a Philadelphia three story Rowhouse were 12 residents died, and the January 9th Tremont high rise fire in the Bronx that killed 17 people. We're grateful for the hard work of the investigators to determine the accidental causes of these fires quickly, and the follow-up from both Metro departments with fire safety education outreach to these communities. Many of those lost in these fires were children. Now is a good time to remind everyone that closed doors and working smoke detectors save lives. We can always do more to educate our communities on space heater, Christmas tree, and fire ignition materials access safety. For more information on these fires, please see the resources links on the podcast page on CFITrainer.Net.

Our featured story today is the development of a new NFPA standard affecting fire investigation, NFPA 1321. It's the standard for fire investigation units, and it's currently under development and slated for release in early 2024. Randy Watson joins us today to give you a preview of this standard. Randy is the first vice president of the IAAI, and the chair of the NFPA 1321 technical committee. Randy, it's great to have you on the podcast.

Randy Watson: Thank you, Rod, it's great to be on. I really appreciate everything you, Lynda and the whole Stonehouse Media team do to help promote fire investigation around the world and everything. You've been a great partner with IAAI for these many years and really appreciate all the work you do.

Rod Ammon: Well, thank you for that, Randy. We couldn't do it without all the expertise you and all of your peers bring to us. So, we're very grateful. So as far as NFPA standards go, I think some of our listeners may not be familiar with what a standard is, or what an NFPA standard is. Can you give them a brief overview of what it is and how it's developed.

Randy Watson: Absolutely. 1871, when that Mrs O Leary's cow allegedly knocked over the lantern and created that Great Chicago Fire, that started a movement that resulted in NFPA being born in November, of 1896, over a 125 years ago.

Rod Ammon: Wow.

Randy Watson: That started the process of life safety and fire safety and the need for standards. There was no standards in Chicago at that time for fire hoses. So various departments couldn't hook in to each other's hoses. So that's why the city eventually burnt to the ground. NFPA standards were developed to help get everybody on the same page with firefighting, and it's evolved from there to what we have today.

Rod Ammon: You've done anything to memorialize Mrs. Leary's cow?

Randy Watson: Well, there's been a lot of studies, and I think that theory has been called into question.

Rod Ammon: All right. Well, we'll go with it, because it sounds interesting. And, of course, I just want to dig farther on that being around all you guys that do investigation, but we'll turn our attention to 1321, and wondering why this standard for fire investigation units is needed.

Randy Watson: Rod, all standards from NFPA start with the concept. The concept for 1321 came out of the Organization of Scientific Area Committees, referred to as OSAC, that was started in 2014. And that committee, or the subcommittee on fire and explosion investigation, came about through a collaboration between the department of justice and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST, to evaluate the state of forensic science in the United States. As a result, these subcommittees addressing different forensic sciences were developed. One of those was the fire and explosion subcommittee, which I have served on since it started. This committee had a pretty easy job initially, because we already had 921 and 1033, so they didn't have to create any standards, they could improve those. However, in reviewing that, the committee saw a gap, we had 921 that addressed fire investigation. We had 1033 that addressed the fire investigator, but there was nothing that addressed the management of the fire investigation process. It's like the third leg of a fire investigation stool.

As a result, the OSAC committee submitted a proposal to NFPA in 2017 to develop a standard relating to fire investigation units to fill that gap. One of the interesting backdrops to that discussion in OSAC was the realization that fire investigation units struggle tremendously to get training and resources. One of the largest departments in the country indicated that their huge fire investigation unit only had a budget of about $3,000 a year for training. In a fire department, obviously most of the money goes to the big red trucks, because that's what's and that's necessary. However, the fire investigation unit usually is at the bottom of the barrel, and is struggling to try to get the resources and the training and the certifications and the support they need to do the job that's required.

So, that was one of the underpinnings that the committee felt there was a need. So, that proposal was submitted to NFPA. NFPA then in September, of 2017, published this proposal in the NFPA journal requesting public input of those in favor of creating this new document and those opposed. They also asked if this committee was developed, was anyone interested in being involved? And surprising to me, because I know how much the fire service loves new standards out there telling them what to do. The feedback from the industry was split evenly about 50/50, those in favor of something like this and those opposed. As a result NFPA decided to move forward with this standard in December, of 2018 is when they approved the standard, well, approve the committee, approve the scope of the committee, and approve the roster of the committee. And that was December, of 2018.

Rod Ammon: It's interesting to me that split, and I wonder a little bit more about it. When I think about it myself, being involved with you all, I feel like I understand why we would want to have a standard because of the so many different setups. And as you said, such inconsistent training in some cases. Why were people opposed? Do we know?

Randy Watson: Well, and like I said, I was shocked, because I felt that the overwhelming response would be negative. Just because like 921, for the first eight or 10 years of 921, people were adamantly against it because someone else was telling them the way they should operate. And I think that was a large part of it. And that also factors in which what we will talk about later I'm sure, the public input we have received mirrors that. So, that's where the, I believe a lot of the comments came from. Some realizing this could be used to help them going to their chiefs, their city manager, to get more funding, and others saying we don't need another document telling us what to do.

Rod Ammon: Interesting. So why was it on its own? Why wasn't it incorporated into 921 or 1033?

Randy Watson: Well, that's a very interesting question, and it has come up multiple times. When this was submitted to NFPA, when they decided to move forward, they had three options. They could incorporate it into 1033, they could assign it to 921, or they could put it in their, a new standard. The concept that was proposed by OSAC was to create a standard. That concept wouldn't fit with 921, because 921 is written as a guide. A standard is written in mandatory language and can be adopted into law. So it wouldn't fit with 921. It could fit, could it have fit in 1033? Possibly, it could have been a separate section within 1033 and would've required some changing of the title, but 1033 is also written as a standard also. However, the Standards Council decided to establish a new technical committee and the interesting part of them establishing the technical committee was the scope.

The scope for this committee was that they would have primary responsibility for standards relating to the development and composition of fire investigation units. And then they had a important caveat that this committee does not have responsibility for the development of standards relating to fire investigation techniques, methodologies, or fire investigator professional qualifications. So basically what they were saying is this committee can work on fire investigation units, but stay away from 921 and stay away from 1033. So you didn't get into conflicts with between the documents, but the Standards Council, which is the governing body within NFPA on standards made the decision that they were going to appoint a separate technical committee to handle this.

Rod Ammon: Give us some insight, how's it being developed, and what's the target audience?

Randy Watson: One of the things that makes the NFPA process and the NFPA documents like 921 and 1033 what they are, is the process NFPA uses. They use the same process, whether it's a standard, a guide or recommended practice. This process is a little different when it's a new document. For a new document, they establish the committee, they provide the committee a scope and then instruct them to move forward. Then the committee meets. For 1321, we were appointed as a committee in December, of 2018. In January, of 2019, we had our first meeting over a phone call to introduce the committee to each other and define what a fire investigation unit is. Then the committee would go through and develop its text ultimately. It would be published as a draft, that draft would get public input. And then there would be a comment period, and then be published. In between that the committee is reviewing each one of those.

To give you a little bit greater insight and how 1321s progressed. Our first meeting was to define what a FIU was, because that in turn would target who our audience would be. The committee define a fire investigation unit as an entity within a public or private sector agency with responsibility for fire and explosion investigation. That set up everything that was going to follow with the committee work. Once we did that, then the committee set out to outline the document. In this case, the technical committee decided to adopt the outline that was submitted by the OSAC committee when they submitted their proposal to NFPA. So that laid out the eight chapters that currently exist for 1321.

Rod Ammon: That must be an interesting process. Sometimes I wish we could have a microphone in the meetings just to hear things get batted around and how decisions are made. How does the content ultimately get written?

Randy Watson: And one of the interesting things about NFPA technical committee meetings, they are all open to the public. So anyone can go and attend, and I would encourage anyone, they're usually the best seminars that I go to, sitting in there and watching the sausage being made, if you will. And sometimes that's what it is like, but the way we proceeded with this is, but from my time as 921 chair, I used that same process of task groups. So we established a task group for each of the main chapters, four through eight, that task group was then given the task of outlining the chapter. We wanted the task group to provide the outline and bring that back to the full committee so the committee could edit, approve, or send back to them for more work, the direction they were going with that chapter.

So once the task group outlines were reviewed by the committee and approved, the task group, which is made up of subject matter experts, began filling out the outline that they had created. Now, one of the things that's important in a NFPA committee is NFPA requires a committee to be balanced. By that I mean, you are placed in a category based on who you work for. I work for SCA, which is a private company, so I am classified as a special expert. Someone from a fire department may be classified as a enforcer. And so there's nine categories and no more than one third of the committee can be made up of any one category. So you have all these different perspectives. The task groups develop the text. Once they are comfortable with the text, they submit that back to myself as chair and our staff liaison.

We review it to make sure it's compliant within NFPAs code of standards. And then it is provided to the entire committee. And the task group goes through the chapter with the committee, the committee discusses it, the committee evaluates it. And ultimately the committee approves it. Once all of the task groups have gone through and completed their work, the first three chapters of the document were prepared, which is the administration, the references and the definitions. And those were pulled directly from the actual chapters. Now we have a complete draft of the document. Then the entire committee reviews the document as a whole, and we can approve that document. So, that's how the text gets from the initial stage of here's the idea to what the draft looks like.

Rod Ammon: And so that draft is completed, let's say you approve it, and I find it funny that NFPA has a code for how they write. What happens then? This goes out for public comment again, correct?

Randy Watson: Well, yes it does, but there's another step. Again, this goes back to once we have completed, we have to submit that draft to the Standards Council. Now, one of the things that is important that I failed to mention in our first in-person meeting, which we held in May, of 2019, the committee voted on how the document was to be written. It could be written in a standard, or it could be written in a guide. If it is written in a standard, it would be more the size of a 1033, written in mandatory language and short. If it's written in a guide like 921, then you can have all of the explanatory material in the document and in the text, rather than a annex item.

The committee discussed it and voted to write it as a standard. Once all of the draft material was completed, we submitted it to the NFPA Standards Council in the spring of 2020. The Standards Council then reviews it and they can publish it, they can send it back to us with instructions. They met in August, of 2020, and approved the standard as a draft or, well, it was actually 2021. They approved it as a draft. Then it went out to the masses. Anyone can write a public input for the document, and public input closed January the fifth. And we had 229 public inputs for this draft. So there's tremendous interest out there in the community.

Rod Ammon: Is that a lot? Compare that to 1033, for instance.

Randy Watson: It is huge. It is a great deal. It is more than we have gotten in 1033, and it is more than we have gotten even on 921 on an occasion or two. So it is a lot for a document that is only 30, 40 pages long. And the comments are all over the map from the first chapter, from the definition of what a fire investigation unit is, all the way through all of the chapters involved. So there's tremendous interest, and I'm glad to see tremendous input into the NFPA process.

Rod Ammon: Yeah, that's great to hear. So I can imagine in some ways this is going to be very supportive of the efforts of some people in fire investigation who need funding, or need the proper orders to build and do what they need to do to further support fire investigation. Would that be correct?

Randy Watson: Yeah, absolutely. One of the goals of this document, and it's something that there was some misunderstanding by parts of the community initially, is this document was being prepared with the idea of providing guidance on policies that fire investigation units need to have. For example, the fire investigation unit should have a policy on evidence. The document is not going to say what the policy should be, because the policy for evidence for ATF is going to be vastly different than the policy for evidence of SCA, or the policy of evidence for the Chicago fire department.

So it's really trying to provide guidance on the policies they need to have in place. And this involves, relating to the organization, to the resources, to safety, to training and education, to documentation and reports, to provide that guidance. And one of the things in the definition of a fire investigation unit is it applies to both public and private. The definition the committee came up with was an entity within a public or private sector agency with responsibility for fire and explosion investigation. Most of the time prior to this, when I thought of a fire investigation unit, the first thing that came to my mind was fire department, but the committee's definition would apply it to both public and private sector fire investigation.

Rod Ammon: Okay. Yeah. And I guess in some places that would be both from the fire department or from law enforcement. So yeah, when I think of it that way. There was something else that was on my mind and it's slipped.

Randy Watson: Yeah. And many of these are combined, there's a combination unit that has, it may be housed in the fire department, but there's police officers assigned to it. So this is more about the management and operations of the unit. So, we have these 229 public inputs that the committee will be having a meeting within the next couple of months to evaluate each and every one of those public inputs, we are required to address every public input that comes in. And then we will publish a report on the committee's action for that public input. That report will be coming out in October of this year. When that report is published, the same time it's published, the document is now open for public comment on our committee action. And that will be open until January, of 2023, at which time the committee will then reconvene and review all of the public comments that come in. And then there'll be a report generated from that, that will come out in October, of 2023. So there's a process that goes through and the committee has to do a lot of work in reviewing all these public inputs and comments.

Rod Ammon: Yeah, and it seems like the process is very inclusive and transparent. That's nice to see, I guess what I was thinking before that I'd forgotten was that, while you said that this is a standard and has to be shorter, and you brought up evidence collection as an example, I'm guessing that, that's the beauty of having 921. These things can work in concert together. They can go to 921 for a guide on how to handle evidence for instance. Correct?

Randy Watson: Absolutely. That's why, the policy may, 1321 may say you shall have a policy relating to evidence storage and, or evidence labeling, or evidence handling. Well, 921 is where they can go to, to get that information on what is the best way to handle evidence and evidence storage and processing and labeling and bagging and tagging, and all the necessary things. So, that's how they will, and the same thing will be, as it relates to training and education certifications, 1321 has a statement that you shall be certified in accordance with 1320 or 1033. So, 1321's not telling you the things you must know. It's referring you to 1033 for the requisite knowledge that you're required to have. That's how these documents all work together.

Rod Ammon: Got it. So you on schedule to release in, I think we said 2024?

Randy Watson: That would be my guess, the public comments report will come out in October, of 2023. If there are no appeals to the committee's discussion and decisions, the document would be out first quarter of 2024. If there is an appeal, for example, Rod, if you submitted a public input and the committee decided not to change the document based on your public input, then you submitted the comment and said, I believe the committee is making the wrong decision here. They should change it to read X, and here's why. And the committee said, no, we still don't want to do that. You can appeal the committee's decision to the Standards Council. The Standards Council then reviews that, that's it. If it's an appropriate appeal, they certify it. And instead of the document coming out first quarter of 2023 or 2024, the document would be held to their June annual meeting during the technical session, which the NFPA membership would address.

So, that would delay the document coming out until later in 2024. But that's one of the things about the NFPA process. Once you enter a cycle, you have these deadlines that you're required to meet. The committee has to meet by a certain date so that we can evaluate it to give NFPA time to put everything together, and then it gets published. So, that's one of the good things about the NFPA process. There is a structure. It is very open. Anybody can submit public input. Anybody can submit comments. You don't have to be a member of NFPA. You don't even have to be a member of NFPA to be on a technical committee. So it is a very open process, it's very transparent, and it's very inclusive. Anybody can be involved.

Rod Ammon: It seems really well done. I'm thinking about, okay, 2024, and let's say, if all goes well, it's released. What's your hope about how people implement the standard once it's released? What do we hope to gain?

Randy Watson: What I'm in hopes that we will see is then a concerted effort by those that are in charge of fire investigation units, not necessarily the fire investigation units itself, but the entity that they're a part of realize the importance of fire investigation, the role it plays in life safety, holding people accountable that have intentionally ignited fires, holding manufacturers accountable for products that may have been on the market to cause fires, for that safety. So awareness of the importance of fire investigation units, but also an awareness of what is required to be a fire investigator.

A fire investigator must testify as an expert. If they are not qualified by a court as an expert, they would not be allowed to testify. So as a result of that, I'm in hopes that through the use of this document, through the policies that it's talking about, they would be able to get better funding for training, for support, for certifications. I hear many public sector investigators say, I'm not going for the IAAI CFI, because my department will not support that. So we're in hopes that through this document, it will raise that awareness of the importance and the need that fire investigators have so that they can do their job of life safety and holding people accountable for fires and better serve their communities.

Rod Ammon: Do you think it's going to create more fire investigation units?

Randy Watson: I don't know if it will create more fire investigation units. I hope it will create better fire investigation units that people will realize the needs and, because there are some departments that their fire investigation unit may be one person. Maybe this will raise awareness that we need more people devoted to this profession to better serve our community.

Rod Ammon: Is the document going to do anything to deal with chain of command, or the way that units communicate even across disciplines?

Randy Watson: I don't believe we're going to be really addressing a chain of command. There are some other standard out there that I believe get into that. And to the chain of command is so different depending on the type of unit. There's going to be some of the policies that are addressed in 1321, that are addressed by the parent agency. So some of those policies may be dictated by the parent agency. So I'm in hopes that this will create better fire investigation units with more resources, more training, and more emphasis on the job of fire investigation, what it involves.

Rod Ammon: Okay. So how can people participate in the standards development process? Because it sounds like this is all on the way people still can get in, that there's going to be some opportunities to chime in with public comment, but in general, how can people participate in the standards development process?

Randy Watson: Well, first and foremost, go to the NFPA website at nfpa.org, and go to the 921 page, the 1321 page, the 1033 page, and you can register to get alerts for what's going on with those documents. So when the public comments, or the public input report is published, you would get an alert. So, that will keep you involved in the process. Go on and fill out the application to become a member of a technical committee. In addition to contributing, you will learn more than you will contribute. I've been a part of NFPA technical committees since 1991. And I have learned far more than I've contributed being in those committee meetings and having the discussions, the debates. So filling out the application to become a member. Also, as I have indicated, all technical committee meetings are open. They simply ask that you let the staff liaison and the chairman know so they can make sure the appropriate space is provided if it's in-person, if it's virtual, that's not really a problem, and observe, observe what goes on, and it will be a tremendous educational process to see how it happens.

Everyone that I've ever invited to come to attend a committee meeting, they've always had the same reaction that, holy cow, I didn't understand what all went into this, and the discussion and the debate. The other way to stay involved and stay up to date is through IAAI Journal, our FISC committee does a terrific job updating the membership on what's going on with all of the codes and standards across the fire investigation area, and trying to provide the members with the most up to date as to where they are, what's coming, what's going on. So those are some ways that everyone can stay involved with what's happening and aware of what's going on in the industry.

Rod Ammon: It's interesting. So great. So you've told people how they could participate and how they can stay up to date. And again, that's by going to nfpa.org. So good news there, and thank you for that. Well, Randy, am I missing anything?

Randy Watson: No, I think we've covered a lot. There's tremendous interest in 1321. I'm expecting we will have a lot of public comments, when that time comes that we'll be dealing with next year, but the good part is the more public input and public comments we get, the better the document will be because of it. So I look forward to more discussions and more involvement from the fire investigation community in the process.

Rod Ammon: Well, sounds like a great process, and I know you've been around as a leader within that process for quite some time. So, that's appreciated. Thank you so much for being with us on the podcast and getting back to our earlier discussion, you have been a stalwart supporter of the work we do on CFITrainer.Net. And we appreciate the many hours you've donated to help the fire investigation community. And I wish you the best of luck, I know all of us do as you move into the presidency of the IAAI International.

Randy Watson: Thank you, Rod. It's definitely going to be an exciting time, and looking forward to it.

Rod Ammon: I guess we will see you at ITC.

Randy Watson: Absolutely. We're looking forward a record crowd, the site selection committee and the training and education committee have put together a tremendous program. And we're way ahead of our numbers for registration. So we are looking for a record crowd in Jacksonville.

Rod Ammon: Well, that'll be a good time and it's just great to see the faces walking around with the smiles, or the inquisitive looks because they've just had their brains jammed with new information. It's all good stuff.

Randy Watson: And everybody is dying to get back together after not being able to have our annual conference for the last two years. So everybody's excited to get back together.

Rod Ammon: Yeah, we need to do it. Well, thanks again. And you be well.

Randy Watson: Thank you Rod.

Rod Ammon: Thank you, Randy. Bye-bye.

And now some news from the IAAI, the IAAI's international training conference 2022 is rapidly approaching. This year's ITC is in warm and sunny Jacksonville Florida from April 10th through the 15th. Over 100 hours of training are available for you to choose from. There are classes on case studies from the investigators who work them, boat and ship systems, commercial kitchen fires, fireplace and chimney fires, fire investigator health and safety, fire sprinklers, vehicle fire investigation, formulating hypotheses, HVAC systems influence on fire development, and fundamentals of fire investigation. The spouses program has been re-imagined for this year with new group outings and special perks. Details on IAAIITC.com. Again, you can learn more at www.IAAIITC.com. So head on over there to get the details about the conference and then click the link to register. We hope to see you there.

This podcast and CFITrainer.Net are made possible by funding from the Fire Prevention Safety Grant, from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program administered by FEMA and the US Department of Homeland Security. Support also comes from the bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and voluntary online donations from CFITrainer.Net users and podcast listeners. Thanks for joining us today on the podcast, stay safe, we'll see you next month. For the IAAI and CFITrainer.Net. I'm Rod Ammon.

2024
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January 2020 - January '20 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month’s podcast gives you updates on Australia’s wild fires and an investigation and arrest tied to a large New Jersey fire. We also talk with Zach McCune from Rolfe’s Henry about a case study and course that he and Shane Otto will be leading at ITC this year. Zach talks about an arson fraud case and how spoofing and masking technologies were used to frame an innocent mother and perpetuate an arson fraud.
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.
November 2019 Podcast - November '19 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month we learn about two new technology solutions being studied for fire investigation and then we visit with Lester Rich from the National Fire Academy
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.
September 2018 News Roundup - September '18 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts.
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.
Fast Podcast about ITC! - March '17 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month we talk to David Bridges about what to expect at ITC and the training you won’t want to miss.
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".
August 2016 CFITrainer.Net Podcast - August '16 IAAI & CFITrainer Fire Investigator Podcasts. This month we talk to Jessica Gotthold about the Seaside Heights fire in NJ from 2013
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.