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. We’ll have a story for you in a few minutes about the final report on the four-fatality fire at the Barclay Friends Senior Living Community in West Chester, Pennsylvania. But first, we are pleased to welcome Chad Campanell, a Senior Special Agent and Certified Fire Investigator at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. He is also the National Center for Explosives Training and Research liaison to the ATF Fire Research Lab. Special Agent Campanell is here to talk about how ATF assists state and local fire investigators with training and investigations as well as the strong partnership between the ATF and the IAAI. ATF has long supported CFItrainer.Net by providing experts for module, podcast, and resource development as well as direct financial support for the platform. Simply, they help CFITrainer.Net stay on the air and available to all of you with quality, vetted content that improves the skills of fire investigators. Special Agent Campanell, welcome to the podcast.

CHAD CAMPANELL: Hello. Good to be here.

ROD AMMON: I appreciate you taking the time, and I understand you’re down working with NFPA, and do you want to talk about that role that you’re doing now?

CHAD CAMPANELL: I am on the technical committee for the new fire investigation unit portion of the new fire investigation unit standard that NFPA is developing.

ROD AMMON: I’m sure they’re excited about the work that’s being done down there, and it’s – well, congratulations to you for being selected. So, we were going to talk about the ATF and what they do for fire investigators in the state and local and national level. So how does the ATF support the education and training of fire investigators?

CHAD CAMPANELL: Oh wow, that’s a loaded question. I mean every way we can really. We support the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland on their Basic Origin and Cause class as well as their Basic Electrical class. We offer Advanced Fire Origin and Cause training at our National Center for Explosives Training and Research down at the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. All of our CFIs travel around the country and offer our state and local fire investigation counterparts fire investigation-related training. We’re invited to several conferences that are hosted by our state and local counterparts, local chapters of the International Association of Arson Investigators, as well as hosting conferences. Sometimes we will bring – we will host a conference and bring fire investigators in from the area to provide them with training.

ROD AMMON: So, tell me about the ATF FRL and how local and state investigators can get access to the lab’s experience.

CHAD CAMPANELL: Oh, our state and local fire investigators, all they need to know is who their local CFI is. Their local ATF-certified fire investigator is their conduit to the FRL. CFI will, after receiving a call for assistance from a state or local, the CFI will reach out to either myself or one of the engineers at the Fire Research Laboratory to see what they can do. Usually, it’s something as simple as a test. They’re at a fire scene. They’re presented with a problem that their time to testing is running into some limitations on. There’s no research available, or they don’t know which way the hypothesis can go. That’s where the FRL comes in. Sometimes – a lot of times we can assist them by looking up past research or even past testing that the FRL has done like somebody is looking to find out how long a cigarette burns in a polyurethane foam chair before it ignites, and they don’t have a basis for that. They can call us up, and we can do some research and try to find out if it’s something that requires more specific testing. For example, if there hasn’t been past research done on it or there hasn’t been a past test done on it, we can design a test and actually do it. So, if somebody wants to know how a particular brand of cigarettes burns in a particular chair, we can design a test where we go out, we buy those cigarettes, we buy that chair, and we conduct a test, and we see what it can do.

ROD AMMON: That is an incredibly strong resource for somebody who’s out there who doesn’t have those kind of resources around them.

CHAD CAMPANELL: Right.

ROD AMMON: Simple question. Well, I don’t know, maybe a stupid question. Does everybody who – do all fire investigators know who their ATF person or contact is?

CHAD CAMPANELL: Oh, that’s actually a pretty good question. They can call up their local ATF office, which is available in the phone book or however you’re going to find the phone number for a local ATF office and ask to speak to the resident agent in charge or the group supervisor of that office and ask them.

ROD AMMON: So, there’s – and all those office numbers are listed I guess at ATF.gov.

CHAD CAMPANELL: I believe so, yes.

ROD AMMON: I also noticed something recently that maybe people aren’t aware of that if you go to ATF.gov, you can sign up for ATF updates in your specific area or things that are being put out by that office, so that’s sort of a nice feature.

CHAD CAMPANELL: That is true. We’ve also – it’s my understanding, although it’s not in my particular department, we’ve increased our social media presence, so there are a lot of ways people can find out what we’re doing in their areas.

ROD AMMON: Okay. So, what other resources does the ATF have? There’s quite a few other things that are involved for local fire investigators. Talk a little bit about NRT and BATS and NCETR.

CHAD CAMPANELL: Oh wow. That’s – how much time do you got?

ROD AMMON: Oh, we got time.

CHAD CAMPANELL: Well, I mean our National Response Team – a lot of people know our National Response Team is comprised of veterans, special agents including certified fire investigators like myself, explosives enforcement officers, certified explosives specialists, forensic chemists, fire protection engineers, electrical engineers. The NRT responds to major fire and explosion scenes around the country. They bring with them a wealth of knowledge, working major fire scenes. With some, what might be a once-in-a-lifetime fire for a particular area, the NRT does all the time, and having that team come in to assist you with that major fire scene might be of great benefit to your community.

For state or local fire investigators tasked with investigating a large fire scene, again, it comes down to knowing who your local certified fire investigator is. You reach out to the local certified fire investigator who can start the process for activating the National Response Team. There – and there’s actually several types of responses for the NRT. You don’t have to – you might not need the full NRT callout to come out to your scene. You might just need help with documenting the fire scene. You might just need help with doing interviews. If you have 100 interviews that need to be done now, the NRT is a good way to get that done. We can dispatch it. It’s almost like – in some cases, it’s almost NRT a la carte where you pick what you need, and other times it’s just a full callout, and that might just be easier to facilitate.

And major fire scenes, it doesn’t have to be a warehouse the size of a city block. It can be anything that’s significant to the local community. If you have a – just a house fire that has – that’s a large life-loss fire or a firefighter line-of-duty death, these are resources that are available to you that can come in and assist you with that investigation. We also have – we also – believe it or not, this is another branch of what we do.

We also have arson profilers stationed with the FBI in Quantico, Virginia. The arson profilers – they’re trained to assist fire investigators with everything from developing profiles on serial arsonists to designing interview strategies for potential suspects. You mentioned the bomb and arson tracking system. The bomb and arson tracking system is a way for fire investigators and fire investigation units to do everything from manage their cases to do searches of incidents in their area to look for potential trends.

ROD AMMON: And I mentioned it as BATS.

CHAD CAMPANELL: BATS, yes. That’s correct, yes.

ROD AMMON: And I – one of the things I have to say is that over the years I know that it’s always a challenge to get people to use reporting software, and I know the demands on fire investigators and fire service people there, there’s already many new demands for documentation. But one of the things that I’ve learned is that, first of all, you guys have really done a lot to update the simplicity of using BATS and also the simplicity or the ease of getting information from it, and there have been some success stories in closing some cases.

CHAD CAMPANELL: I can tell you BATS has come a long way since I started using it. I’ve been using it now for most of my career now, and it has definitely come a long way. It’s definitely much more user friendly.

ROD AMMON: So that’s something – I guess I’m trying to remember. How does somebody get access to BATS?

CHAD CAMPANELL: Go to bats.gov, and they can sign up for an account.

ROD AMMON: Okay. So, tell me about the process. You just talked about reaching out to a local CFI or to getting in touch with somebody through the web from ATF, and it might be related to the NRT. What’s the process for the ATF becoming involved? How do I know when I need that help, and what should I expect?

CHAD CAMPANELL: Well, I’ve been – I’ve responded to many of these calls, so I’m actually – I’ve been on both sides of it. I have been on fire scenes where I have been responding to a call for assistance from our state or local counterpart, and I have been the person assisted by the NRT where I’ve been presented with a case where I’m looking at this fire scene. It is – a lot of it’s just if you’re feeling overwhelm by a significant scene, that’s okay. Help is literally a phone call away. You can call up your local CFI, and that CFI can respond in, and now you have another brain working with you.

There’s no reason to work a fire scene alone, especially a significant one, and that CFI is going to bring with him all of the knowledge, training, and experience that he’s gathered over the course of so many years. CFIs have access to fire scenes from all over the country. They’ve got access to FRL, and just having a CFI at your fire scene is going to increase the amount of hypothesis development and testing that you’re going to do during the course of that investigation, and at the end of the day, strengthen your overall opinion.

ROD AMMON: I’m just sitting here thinking that there are a lot of people out there that might be on an investigation, and they’d be – I don’t know if the word squeamish, concerned, feeling like, oh, I shouldn’t call a federal agency. That’s too big a phone call, and I – the message I continue to hear from you guys is make the call.

CHAD CAMPANELL: Make the call. It’s old fire department mentality. It’s always easier to turn around a resource than it is to ask for it when it’s too late.

ROD AMMON: Well, so everybody out there listening, make the call. I know that you’ve been a big advocate of CFITrainer.Net from the beginning, so why don’t you tell us a little bit about how you’ve used it personally?

CHAD CAMPANELL: I think I’ve taken every class on that, and it’s great. It’s taught by people that are at the cutting edge of the fire investigation field, so you’re really getting great training to keep up with whatever certifications you have to maintain for your state, and on top of that, to fulfill the requirements dictated in NFPA 1033, which is the standard for qualifications for fire investigators. It says that you need to keep updated on the current trends in fire investigation.

ROD AMMON: I’m thinking about the partnership between the ATF, the IAAI, and CFITrainer.Net, and I’m wondering if you could give us sort of a 20,000-foot view of why that’s so important to the ATF and what you see for it in the future.

CHAD CAMPANELL: Well, I mean the IAAI is recognized throughout the world in the field of fire investigation. It’s a natural fit between ATF and the IAAI given our common missions for educating people about fire investigation. The IAAI and CFITrainer.Net act as conduits for the flow of information for what has been developing in a very rapidly changing field of fire investigation.

ROD AMMON: I know that the IAAI is very grateful to be involved with the ATF and also very grateful for the support that the ATF provides. What am I missing?

CHAD CAMPANELL: Just some other stuff that the CFIs can help with. It’s not just the – we don’t just help with fire scenes. We help with trial strategies, too. A lot of times, prosecutors, attorneys don’t do a lot of fire investigation cases. They don’t prosecute a lot of arson cases, and in those cases where a fire investigator is bringing a case to court, where it is classified as an incendiary fire and it is an arson in their jurisdiction, there is a pretty good chance that the prosecutor that’s prosecuting the case doesn’t have a lot of experience doing arson cases. We offer an Arson for Prosecutors School out of the NCETR in addition to our Advanced Origin and Cause class that we offer out of the NCETR that I failed to mention before. But our Arson for Prosecutors class is given around the country, and it trains prosecutors on some of the issues that come up during arson trials. Additionally, a local CFI or we can fly a CFI in if it’s requested to actually counsel the prosecutor when dealing with issues that come up in court. Things like trial preparation for fire investigation, expert witnesses, and report reviews, things along that line are other services that we bring to the table that aren’t directly related to excavating a fire scene.

ROD AMMON: That’s really interesting. I had not heard about that and great addition to our information today. Well, we thank you very much, Chad Campanell. He’s a senior agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Thank you very much for your time, Chad.

CHAD CAMPANELL: Thank you so much.

ROD AMMON: We’ll be in touch in the future.

CHAD CAMPANELL: All right, sounds good.

ROD AMMON: There’s a recent example in the news about how ATF can support local fire investigators in a tough case. In 2017, a five-alarm fire at a multi-building senior nursing and rehabilitation center killed four elderly residents. Due to the extensive damage to the property and the size of the fire, local officials requested the ATF join the investigation. In January 2019, the final origin and cause report of the joint investigation between ATF and the Chester County Fire Marshal’s office was released. The damage to the building made it impossible to determine the precise origin and cause, although the report states the opinion that the fire likely started in the rear garden room, which was an outdoor patio under an overhang.

The investigators did not believe the fire was intentional. The investigation did find that the main valve to the sprinkler system in the building where the fire began had been closed at some point prior to the fire. According to ATF, despite extensive testing and interviews, investigators were unable to determine definitively when the valve was turned off, but based on the totality of the investigation, investigators believe it was off during the fire. The investigators did not render an opinion as to whether a properly functioning sprinkler system would have affected the fire growth and spread given the origin. Factors contributing to the fire spread included strong winds, flammability of vinyl siding, and the lack of exterior sprinklers, which are not required by code. The fire investigation was a collaborative effort between the Chester County District Attorney's Office, Chester County Fire Marshal's Office, Pennsylvania State Police, West Chester Police Department, Chester County Sheriff’s Office, and Chester County Department of Emergency Services. The investigation included more than 300 interviews, an extensive fire scene examination, review of witness photos and videos, and testing at the ATF Fire Research Lab.

CFITrainer extends its deepest condolences to the families of the residents who died in this fire.

If you are interested in learning more about automatic sprinkler systems, how they can become impaired, preplanning for response to protect properties, and how to interact with sprinkler systems at a response, there are two links to further training on this podcast page: one online training module from the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and the Fighting Fire In Sprinklered Buildings program from FM Global. If you’re responsible for doing preplanning or respond to properties protected by sprinkler systems, you might want to view this training and forward it to your colleagues.

Just a shout out to the folks at Ball Watch Switzerland, I wanted to say how grateful we are for them donating a watch to the IAAI Foundation auction for this year’s ITC. If you missed out, you can learn more about that watch in the news section of the IAAI’s website at firearson.com.

And just a reminder to all of you, a majority of our funding for CFITrainer.Net and this podcast comes from a grant from DHS/FEMA/USFA, the fire prevention and safety grants.

For the International Association of Arson Investigators and CFITrainer.Net, I’m Rod Ammon.

2024
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The Role of Metallurgical and Materials Science in Fire Origin and Cause Determination. - We’ve got something new and pretty interesting for you today — a closer look at the role of metallurgical and materials science in fire origin and cause determination. Our guide into this world is Larry Hanke.
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October 2021 - Welcome to the CFITrainer.Net Podcast. It's been a while since we've done a news round up so today we're covering some new research and fire investigation cases.
Fire as a Cover for Murders and Gender Reveal Fires: September 2021 - This episode we talk to Texas Ranger Sergeant Drew Pilkington about incendiary fires as a cover for murder and we discuss a tragic quadruple domestic violence homicide.
May 2021 - As part of National Arson Awareness Week, CFITrainer.Net has a new podcast exploring the week's theme, "Arson During Civil Unrest."
December 2020 - On this podcast we talk to Bobby Schaal about the new Fire Investigation for Fire Officer certificate and then we offer a brief update on an investigation in Stowe, Vermont.
August 2020 - This month we talk to a legend in the fire investigation field, Dr. Quintiere, sometimes known as Dr. Q. He has a rich experience in the fire service dating back to the 70’s, and he is working on fire in micro-gravity today.
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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.
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.
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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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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.
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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.
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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.