Fire Investigator News - CFITrainer.net surpasses 18,000 members!

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CFITrainer.net surpasses 18,000 members!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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87 Available Training Programs Filters View All

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Accidental Causes

Accreditation & Certification

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Training Course Pre-Requisites

ATF ARSON-CS-0002 Advanced Origin and Cause/Courtroom Techniques

IAAI Fundamentals of Fire Investigation

IAAI Electrical Aspects of Fire Investigation

IAAI Expert Report Writing

IAAI Expert Witness Courtroom Testimony

IAAI Forensic Photography — Basic

IAAI Forensic Photography — Advanced

IAAI Investigating Youth-Set Fires

IAAI Marine Fire Investigation

IAAI Motor Vehicle Fire Investigation (2 Day and 3 Day)

National Fire Academy Fire Investigation: Essentials R0772

National Fire Academy Fire Investigation: Forensic Interviewing and Evidence R0780 and P0780

National Fire Academy Fire Investigation: Electrical Systems R0776

National Fire Academy Fire Investigation: Case Preparation and Testimony R0790

CFITrainer.Net Multi-Program Certificate

Fire Investigation for Fire Officers

Fire Investigation for the Insurance Industry

Fire Investigation Safety

Principles of Fire Investigation

NFPA 1033 (2022 Ed.) JPR

4.1 General

4.1.1 Meet JPRs in 4.2 Through 4.7

4.1.2 Employ Scientific Method

4.1.3 Complete Site Safety Assessment & Follow Standards

4.1.4 Maintain Liaison With Other Interested Professionals and Entities

4.1.5 Adhere to all Applicable Legal and Regulatory Requirements

4.1.6 Understand the Organization and Operation of the Investigative Team Within an IMS

4.1.7.1 to 4.1.7.3 Remaining Current & Continuing Education

4.2 Scene Examination

4.2.1 Secure the Fire Ground

4.2.2 Conduct Exterior Survey

4.2.3 Conduct Interior Survey

4.2.4 Interpret Fire Patterns Individually

4.2.5 Interpret and Analyze Fire Patterns Collectively

4.2.6 Examine and Remove Fire Debris

4.2.7 Reconstruct Potential Area(s) of Origin

4.2.8 Inspect and Analyze the Performance of Building Systems

4.2.9 Discriminate the Effects of Explosions

4.3 Documenting the Scene

4.3.1 Diagram the Scene

4.3.2 Photographically Document the Scene

4.3.3 Construct Investigative Notes

4.4 Evidence Collection/Preservation

4.4.1 Utilize Proper Procedures for Managing Victims and Fatalities

4.4.2 Locate, Document, Collect, Label, Package, and Store Evidence

4.4.3 Select Evidence for Analysis

4.4.4 Maintain a Chain of Custody

4.4.5 Dispose of Evidence

4.5 Interview

4.5.1 Develop an Interview Plan

4.5.2 Conduct Interviews

4.5.3 Evaluate Interview Information, Analyze, Correlated, and Corroborate

4.6 Post-Fire Investigation

4.6.1 Gather Reports and Records, Maintain Admissibility in Court

4.6.2 Evaluate the Investigative File

4.6.3 Coordinate Expert Resources

4.6.4 Establish Evidence as to Motive and/or Opportunity, Given an Incendiary Fire

4.6.5 Formulate an Opinion Concerning Origin, Cause, or Responsibility for a Fire

4.7 Presentations

4.7.1 Prepare a Written Report

4.7.2 Express Investigative Findings Verbally

4.7.3 Testify During Legal Proceedings

NFPA 1033 (2022 Ed.) 4.1.7 Topic

4.1.7 (1) Fire Science

4.1.7 (1)(a) Fire Chemistry

4.1.7 (1)(b) Thermodynamics

4.1.7 (1)(c) Fire Dynamics

4.1.7 (1)(d) Explosion Dynamics

4.1.7 (2) Fire Investigation

4.1.7 (2)(a) Fire Analysis

4.1.7 (2)(b) Fire Investigation Methodology

4.1.7 (2)(c) Fire Investigation Technology

4.1.7 (2)(d) Evidence Documentation, Collection, and Preservation

4.1.7 (2)(e) Failure Analysis and Analytical Tools

4.1.7 (3) Fire Scene Safety

4.1.7 (3)(a) Hazard Recognition, Evaluation, and Basic Mitigation Procedures

4.1.7 (3)(b) Hazardous Materials

4.1.7 (3)(c) Safety Regulations

4.1.7 (4) Building Systems

4.1.7 (4)(a) Types of Construction

4.1.7 (4)(b) Fire Protection Systems

4.1.7 (4)(c) Electricity and Electrical Systems

4.1.7 (4)(d) Fuel Gas Systems

World Languages Availability

Español/Spanish

Accreditation, Certification, and Certificates

This program provides a primer on accreditation, certification, and certificates for fire investigation training.

Alternative Fuel Vehicles

This module covers how CNG, LNG, LPG, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles work and their implications for fire investigation.

An Analysis of The Station Nightclub Fire

A fire occurred on the night of Feb. 20, 2003, in The Station nightclub at 211 Cowesett Avenue, West Warwick, Rhode Island.

Arc Mapping Basics

Arc Mapping, or Arc Fault Circuit Analysis, uses the electrical system to help reconstruct a scene, providing investigators with a means of determining the area of a fire’s origin.

Basic Electricity

This module introduces basic electrical concepts, including: terminology, atomic theory and electricity, Ohm’s Law, Joule’s Law, AC and DC power.

Charleston Sofa Super Store Fire

A fire occurred on the evening of June 18, 2007, in the Sofa Super Store in Charleston, SC that resulted in the deaths of nine fire fighters.

Charting Your Career Path In Fire Investigation

This module looks at the many ways fire investigators enter and grow in the profession through academia, the fire service, law enforcement, insurance, and engineering.

Commercial Kitchen Fires 1: Fundamentals

This module describes the design, construction, components, and operation of a commercial kitchen’s ventilation, fire suppression, and cooking fuel systems.

Commercial Kitchen Fires 2: Investigation

This module provides an investigative framework for commercial kitchen fires and discusses major commercial kitchen systems and activities as they relate to possible fire origin and cause.

Critical Evaluation and Testing of Commonly Reported Accidental Causes

This module looks at four of the most commonly-reported accidental fire causes: cooking equipment, heating equipment, electrical distribution, and smoking materials.

Critical Thinking Solves Cases

This program brings three highly experienced fire investigators and an attorney with experience as a prosecutor and civil litigator together for a round table discussion.

The Deposition Part 1: Format, Content, and Preparation

This module introduces the elements of a deposition, discusses typical lines of questioning, and describes how to prepare for a deposition.

The Deposition Part 2: Questioning Tactics and Effective Responses

This module proposes effective ways to respond to the most common questioning tactics employed by opposing counsel in a deposition.

Digital Photography and the Fire Investigator

The program discusses the basics of digital photography for fire investigators as well as software and editing procedures for digital images intended as evidence.

Discovery in Civil Cases

This self-paced program is an introduction to discovery in civil proceedings such as fire loss claims and product defect lawsuits.

Discovery in Criminal Cases

This self-paced program is an introduction to discovery in criminal proceedings.

DNA

This module covers the foundation of DNA evidence: defining, recognizing, collecting, and testing.

Documenting the Event

This program provides a practical overview of how to perform the baseline documentation tasks that occur at every scene.

Donning and Doffing Personal Protective Equipment

Guidance on selecting, donning, and doffing PPE for post-fire scenes, focusing on respiratory protection.

Effective Investigation and Testimony

This module will discuss the techniques and strategies for conducting a proper science-based fire scene investigation and effectively presenting an investigator’s findings in court as an expert witness.

Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Design Basics

This program explains the basic principles of how electric and hybrid vehicles are designed and work, including major systems and typical components.

Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Fires

This program discusses common failure modes, evidence handling procedures, and safety protocols for electric and hybrid vehicles.

Electrical Safety

This module presents critical electrical safety practices that every fire investigator should implement at every scene, every time.

Emerging Technologies in Fire Investigation

In this program, we will look at emerging technologies that fire investigators are integrating into their daily investigative work with great success.

Ethical Duties Beyond the Fire Scene

This self-paced program examines the fire investigator's ethical duties beyond the fire scene.

Ethics & Social Media

This module discusses the intersection of social media, ethics, and the relationship of what’s legal to what’s ethical in decision-making.

Ethics and the Fire Investigator

Should you work for a private lab as a consultant if you are on an Arson Task Force? How about accepting discounts from the local hardware store as a “thanks” for a job well done on a fire they had last year?

Evidence Examination: What Happens at the Lab?

This module takes investigators into the forensic laboratory and shows them what happens to the different types of fire scene evidence that are typically submitted for testing.

Explosion Dynamics

This module teaches the foundational knowledge of explosion dynamics, which is a necessary precursor to investigating an explosion scene.

Fatal Fires: An Introduction

This module provides a thorough understanding of the ways an investigation changes when a fire-related death occurs.

Fatal Fires: Fire Effects on the Body

This module is a foundational introduction to how fire affects and damages the human body.

Fatal Fires: Investigation

This module discusses investigative tasks specific to fatal fires, including properly recovering and moving a body and interpreting fire effects on the body within the context of the fire scene.

Fire Chemistry

This module addresses the foundations of fire chemistry and places it within the context of fire scene investigations.

Fire Dynamics Calculations - Version 2.0

The program is designed to introduce a new Palm/Pocket PC application called CFI Calculator to users and provide examples of how it can be used by fire investigators in the field.

Fire Dynamics in the Wildland

This module discusses foundational wildland fire terminology, factors that influence wildland fire behavior, how these factors interact to produce fire effects (and subsequently fire patterns), and new research into fire dynamics in the wildland that is challenging assumptions.

Fire Effects Part 1: Heat Effects on Fuels

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CFITrainer.Net is the online resource for training fire investigators at all levels. The broad-based training modules assist fire investigators in meeting the topical areas contained in NFPA 1033, Standard for Professional Qualifications for Fire Investigators. In addition to individual program training, CFITrainer.Net offers multi program training certification, fire investigation podcasts, the Fire Scene Evidence Guide, and the latest fire investigation news. Register online to get started.