50th Annual Origin and Cause Seminar

2900 Featherstone Road,Auburn Hills MI 48326

03 May, 2023

Description

This is a tested seminar. 14 Fire Inspector CE Points have been applied for. Seminar Schedule 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM Wednesday May 38:30 AM - 4:30 PM Thursday May 4Seminar Description This seminar will begin on Wednesday with an in-depth discussion into the new editions of NFPA 921 and 1033. The major changes to both documents will be covered, with practical application as to how the changes may impact the investigation, the investigator, and the agency. The NFPA Standard of Fire Investigation Units (1321) is under development and is expected to be released in early 2024. The presenter will cover the development and application of this new standard. You will want to get a head start on what this standard is all about, the effect this may have on your FIU, and how be prepared for it. Get your questions answered. The day will be led by Mr. Randy Watson, and will provide a unique opportunity to hear from a speaker who serves on all three committees. Mr. Watson is the former Chairman of the NFPA 921 Committee, a member of the NFPA 1033 Committee, and the current Chairman of the NFPA 1321 Committee. This will be a great opportunity to hear the current updates and gain an understanding from the technical committee perspective on the reasoning behind the updates. Our speaker is the current President of the International Association of Arson Investigators and can also answer your questions about the association. On Thursday the topic will be Fire Investigator health and safety with Mr. Curt Thompson. In this course we will touch on several health and safety issues like air monitoring, toxic gases, APR’s, and deconning ourselves, equipment, and other investigators. We will discuss clean cab concept for investigators, Health and Safety SOG’s, and other topics that arise around safety during an investigation at the scene. We’ll dive in and take an easy and practical approach to air monitoring. We will discuss what gases our detectors (air monitors) see, prominent fire/post fire gases, how these gases can hurt us, and what level/type of PPE can protect us. Our Distinguished SpeakersMr. Randy Watson IAAI-CFI®, IAAI-CI®, CFEI, CFII, CVFI, F-IAFI Mr. Watson is the Director, Technical Training, and Senior Fire Investigator with SEA, Ltd. He obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of South Carolina. Randy has over 45 years’ experience investigating fires and explosions incidents for the fire service, law enforcement, and private sector. Mr. Watson hold certifications as a Certified Fire Investigator, Certified Instructor, Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator, and Certified Vehicle Fire Investigator. He has served on the NFPA 921 Committee since 1993, serving as Chairman from 2008 to 2020. Randy also serves on the NFPA 1033 Committee and is the first Chairman of the NFPA 1321 Committee on Fire Investigation Units. He is currently the President of International Association of Arson Investigators. Mr. Curt Thompson President and Founder of Right Track Response Solutions Retired from the Waterford Regional Fire Department as a shift Captain after having held positions as a HazMat Team Leader, SWAT Medic, and Training Officer. Upon retirement, Curt worked for Federal Resources (FR) as the Senior Training Manager providing Hazardous Materials, CBRNE, ICS, and other emergency response training to various federal, state, and local response agencies. Curt also managed a large Counter CBRN training and exercise contract for the US Air National Guard (US ANG) that lasted 7 approximately years. Leaving FR, Curt continued to stay involved in training emergency responders as a contract instructor for the Michigan State Police-EMHSD and has since became the President and Founder of Right Track Response Solutions. In this position, Curt continues to provide training to emergency response agencies and private sector business on various emergency response topics. Right Track Response Solutions also provides unique web and equipment-based solutions for response and training. IN MEMORY OF DAVID ROWDavid Row was a Fire Investigator who, over the course of his career, served both the public and private sectors. After retiring as a Sargeant and Fire Investigator from the Oakland County Sheriff's department, he became a Fire Investigator for Liberty Mutual insurance. Throughout his long career as a Fire Investigator, Dave's passion was to always keep learning and to share his knowledge and experience with others. He was active in Fire Investigation training through Oakland Community College - CREST, Oakland County Association of Arson and Fire Investigators (OCAAFII) and many other organizations in Southeast Michigan. Dave retired in 2021, but still continued to share his knowledge with the Fire Investigation community until his untimely passing in July of 2022. His friends at OCAAFII have renamed this event the David Row Memorial Origin and Cause Seminar in his honor. Dave was a past president of OCAAFII, and always an active part of the OCAAFII Origin and Cause seminar—from finding us speakers (he knew just about everyone) to making up the flyers and organizing the rooms at OCC.  The Board really struggled this year without Dave's help, encouragement, and mentorship.  We hope that, in the end, this year's seminar is a fitting tribute to our long time friend, mentor, and fellow Fire Investigator Dave Row.