Course Dates: October 6-8, 2010 • Tuition: $600 • Register by: September 30
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The New Hampshire Insurance Department has approved this course for 20 CE credits.

Students will be exposed to NFPA 921, 2008 Edition: Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations, including the chemistry of ignition and combustion. Class and laboratory work will focus on the circumstances necessary for ignition and fire development, recognizing and analyzing fire and burn patterns, identifying fire load and its contribution to fire, and assessing the results of the different phases of fire (from incipient to self-sustaining, full involvement, and flashover). Students will learn about the science of electricity and circuits as well as the study of electricity as a potential ignition source. The Institute provides a variety of electrical devices, both working devices and those responsible for fire, for demonstration and examination. Further in-depth electrical fire analysis is covered in the Electricity and Fire course also offered by the Institute, worth an additional 14 CE credits. Investigators in the public and private sector ultimately have to communicate their findings to insurance companies, attorneys, fire chiefs, police personnel, and other parties. Effective communication of fire scene discoveries is critical to the fire investigator. Students will be exposed to report writing, accurate documentation of the scene, diagramming, evidence collections, and communication of findings from the fire ground to the courthouse. Experts from both the public and private sectors will discuss safety procedures, proper evidence handling, and making effective and accurate origin and cause determinations. On the final day of training, students will apply what they have learned by investigating a simulated fire scene, complete with the inspection of a real burn cell, and conducting live interviews. Throughout the day, students are guided by instructors in their scene investigation and interviews to determine an area of origin and cause, and then critiqued on their investigation.  Certificates will be issued to students who have successfully completed the course.