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S.2 Ep.12- Live from IAAI-ITC: Guatemala's Only Fire Investigator, and Two Guest Listeners
Manage episode 489610006 series 3618920
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In this compelling episode, host Chasity Owens delivers a solo intro while Scott Kuhlman attends Marine Fire Investigation training through IAAI. This special episode features inspiring stories from Guatemala and engaging conversations with dedicated podcast listeners, showcasing the global reach and impact of fire investigation.
Key Highlights
Breaking Ground in Guatemala: Gretel's remarkable story of becoming Guatemala's first and only certified fire investigator after starting as a technology coach for struggling firefighters in 2014. Despite having no prior fire investigation knowledge, her engineering background and passion for learning led her to pursue training across multiple countries, paying out of pocket to build the expertise her country desperately needed.
Building a Fire Investigation Program: Learn how Gretel established her own fire investigation company, handling approximately 100 cases annually across Guatemala and Central America while training new investigators and maintaining her volunteer firefighter duties. Her work fills a critical gap where no public fire investigation services existed.
The Construction Connection: Both Braden and Dale emphasize the crucial importance of understanding building construction in fire investigation. Their backgrounds in code enforcement and construction provide invaluable insights into how buildings are designed, and built, and how fire travels through different structural systems.
International Training Efforts: The episode explores ongoing efforts to bring fire investigation training to underserved regions, including recent IAAI fundamentals training in Guatemala and upcoming programs in Colombia, Paraguay, and Chile.
Training Announcements
- Arizona Annual Training Conference: July 23-25 in Prescott, Arizona
- Georgia ATC: July 28-31 in Savannah, Georgia (featuring EV fires, solar panel investigations, and serial arsonist profiling)
- California Conference of Arson Investigators: October 6-9 (includes live burn day)
Sponsor Spotlight
The episode features Clean Space respiratory protection systems, highlighting improved visibility, comfort, and safety for fire scene investigations. Contact Tim Costa at 401-573-5341 or [email protected] for more information.
Episode Takeaways
This episode powerfully demonstrates the universal need for fire investigation expertise and the dedication required to build these capabilities from scratch. Gretel's story serves as an inspiration for investigators worldwide, while the listener segment reinforces the importance of networking and continuous learning within the fire investigation community. The diverse backgrounds of all guests underscore how different professional experiences enhance fire investigation capabilities.
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the individual hosts and guests and do not necessarily represent official positions of affiliated organizations.
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