This contemporary presentation incorporates issues involved in the convictions in arson cases in the 1970, 1980s, and 1990s that were overturned in the courts because they were considered to be based on “junk science.” The program demonstrates why it is of paramount importance that a comprehensive, thorough, and systematic examination of every fire scene be conducted in accordance with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 921 and why the investigator must be qualified per NFPA 1033 and NFPA 1037, the accepted standards for a fire investigator and a fire marshal. From beginning to end, the investigator must follow a process that facilitates the investigation of the entire scene, no matter how large or how small, and that allows for the proper documentation of that scene, the correct elimination or attribution of the heat source responsible for the fire, and the accurate determination of the area or point of the origin of the fire. Attendees also learn how to prepare an accurate, viable investigative report that can be used in a departmental, civil, or criminal process or proceeding.
