Fire Investigator News - New Content Added to Evidence Collection Toolbox

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New Content Added to Evidence Collection Toolbox

CFITrainer.Net is pleased to announce a content upgrade to the popular Evidence Collection Toolbox. New video and text content has significantly improved the recommended evidence collection procedures for Wood Flooring, Baseboard Molding, Cardboard, Linoleum, Carpet, Stairs, Soil and Grass, Concrete, suspected Ignitable Liquid Pools, Fire Debris, Footwear, Paint Chips and Particles, and Small Glass Fragments. Now, users can watch video showing proper collection of many of these items, as well as read and print step-by-step directions.

The CFITrainer.Net Evidence Collection Toolbox details evidence collection and packaging procedures for over 50 types of evidence items encountered at the fire scene. The Toolbox also includes a brief discussion of evidence testing options available for each item. The Toolbox is an excellent resource for investigators to refresh their memory on collection procedures for a certain item and to learn how less common items are collected. All pages are printable for your investigative toolkit. As always, investigators should contact their forensic laboratory to confirm procedures before you collect evidence you are unfamiliar with. The Toolbox is periodically updated with new items and when recommended procedures change.

The CFITrainer.Net Evidence Collection Toolbox is available free to CFITrainer.Net members by clicking the “Resources” button in the left navigation menu on this page, then selecting "CFITrainer.net Evidence Collection Toolbox".

Updated sections:
Baseboard Molding
Carpet
Stair Treads
Soil/Grass
Concrete
Ignitable Liquid Pool

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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

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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.