Fire Origin & Cause Investigations

and Legal Aspects of Fire Investigations 

Thursday, February 6, 2014 

Morning Session 8 AM - Noon                  Afternoon Session 1 PM - 5 PM

Lunch and cocktail hour included.  

Please join us for these fun networking opportunities.

The morning portion of this seminar will provide an introduction to the concepts and knowledge required to conduct an origin and cause investigation.  Topics will include basic fire science/dynamics, fire investigation methodology, and the scientific method. 

As a practical exercise, students will be given the opportunity to apply their knowledge on an acutal fire scene.  A pre-burned cubicle will be available for students to "investigate" with the goal of determining the origin and cause of the fire.  Photographs and videos will then be used to analyze and review the origin and cause.  The instructors for the morning portion of the seminar will be  Cameron J. Novak, Brent A. Fukuda, Zachary J. Jason, and Todd J. Hedglin.

Attorney Brendan O. Powers, Shareholder at Spies, Powers & Robinson, will lead the afternoon session along with AEI's President, Jay Freeman.  The objective of the afternoon session will be to provide an in-depth view of the legal side of investigations.  Issues related to expert reports, negative corpus, and legal challenges from both a technical and emotional perspective will be covered.  A mock cross-examination and case studies, including evidentiary challenges and ethics, will be used to aid in teaching the subject matter.  The session will wrap up with a panel discussion with attorneys and judges of the topics previously discussed. 

CE and CLE credits will be split into 4 hours for the morning session, and 4 hours for the afternoon session.  You may choose to attend the full day, or just the morning or afternoon session.  CE and CLE certificates will be provided based on the number of hours you attend.  

The seminar will include lunch following the morning session and a cocktail hour at the end of the day.  We hope you will be able to join us for both.