Fire Investigation INFOCUS podcast

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Scott Kuhlman and Chasity Owens sit down with Founder Jesse Sprague, Director of Research & Intelligence Phinehas Lampman, and  Software Developer and Data Scientist Kathleen Matos from Axon Intelligence to talk about the future of wildland fire investigation, origin and cause documentation, data science, remote sensing, AI, drone imagery, and fire investigati...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Scott and Chasity catch up on fan mail, training opportunities, report writing, and the importance of verifying information in the age of AI before turning the mic over to their conversation with Fire Investigator and Student Committee Chair Sawyer Garriques at the 2026 IAAI ITC. Sawyer shares how the IAAI Student Committee is helping bridge the gap between studen...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Chasity Owens and Scott Kuhlman are LIVE again at IAAI International Training Conference with a live conversation featuring Fire Investigator and IAAI's 2026 Investigator of the Year Adam Holloway of Genesis Forensics and Fire Investigator John Hill of National Fire Experts. Both Adam and John are Eastern Kentucky University graduates who entered the fire inv...

Send us Fan Mail LIVE from the IAAI ITC in St. Louis , Scott Kuhlman and Chasity Owens sit down with IAAI Immediate Past President David Bridges and IAAI Current President Devin Palmer for a powerful conversation about leadership, training, mentorship, and the future of the fire investigation profession. David shares how his career evolved from law enforcement and accelerant detection canine work...

Send us Fan Mail LIVE at the International Association of Arson Investigators ITC 2026, hosts Scott Kuhlman and Chasity Owens sit down with fire investigator Nicole Brewer for one of the podcast’s most insightful conversations yet. Nicole shares her journey from firefighter to fire investigator, her transition from public to private sector investigations, and how advanced education through Eastern...

Send us Fan Mail Live from IAAI ITC 2026 in St. Louis, Scott Kuhlman and Chasity Owens sit down with Dr. Greg Gorbett to talk fire investigation, research-based tools, and the future of the profession. The conversation covers the U.S. NRC Fire Dynamics Tools spreadsheets, heat release rate calculations, flashover correlations, and how investigators can use empirical data in defensible origin and c...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, hosts Scott Kuhlman and Chasity Owens break down real-world court cases where fire investigators were challenged, excluded, or dismantled under legal scrutiny. From Daubert challenges and summary judgment to spoliation of evidence and product liability battles involving companies like Amazon, this episode dives deep into what can make—or break—an expert witness in...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, hosts Scott Kuhlman and Chasity Owens continue their deep dive into NFPA 921 Chapter 6 with Part 2: Fire Patterns. The episode blends real-world case studies with foundational fire science, reinforcing how fire investigators interpret patterns, validate origin hypotheses, and apply the scientific method in the field. Listeners are first brought into two compelling...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Scott Kuhlman and Chasity Owens kick off their discussion of NFPA 921 Chapter 6 by breaking down one of the most important foundations in fire investigation: fire effects, and then fire pattens next episode. Using real-world deposition questions and courtroom-style challenges, they show why investigators must be able to clearly explain concepts like fire plume dev...

Send us Fan Mail Recorded live at the California Conference of Arson Investigators (CCAI), this episode features Fire Investigator and researcher Keith Parker for a wide-ranging (and very real) conversation about what it looks like to apply the scientific method in fire investigation—especially when the ignition source is gone and the pressure to “have an answer” is high. We dig into affirmative e...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Scott Kuhlman and Chasity Owens are joined by Fire Investigators Bill Strohm and Oliver Gillespie to explain how their fire investigation unit operates and why their structure leads to strong case outcomes. They break down the roles of shift investigators, who handle origin and cause, evidence collection, and witness interviews at active scenes, and day-shift inve...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Scott Kuhlman and Chasity Owens sit down with returning guest Attorney Lauren Guber for a real-world conversation on how fire investigations hold up when the stakes are high—especially in court. The episode kicks off with a sharp comparison between the U.S. approach to fire investigation standards and the UK’s “Code of Practice” concept, which reads more like “you...

Send us Fan Mail In this milestone 50th episode , hosts Scott Kuhlman and Chasity Owens dive into Chapter 5: Basic Fire Science from the 2024 edition of NFPA 921 . This episode breaks down foundational fire science concepts that investigators are frequently challenged on in court—covering the definition of fire , energy vs. power , heat flux , modes of heat transfer , minimum ignition energy (MIE)...

Send us Fan Mail Season 3 kicks off with a timely and critical conversation on site safety assessments and why they are more than just a procedural checkbox—they’re a fundamental part of the fire investigation process. Scott Kuhlman and Chasity Owens open the new year by reflecting on recent cases, near-misses, and real-world examples that highlight how quickly an investigation can become dangerou...

Send us Fan Mail In this Christmas Eve Embercast, Chasity and Scott slow things down with a short, informal episode focused on listener feedback, community connection, and the continued growth of the fire investigation profession. Rather than a full-length case discussion, this Ember-style episode highlights messages from investigators around the world—including Australia—and explores meaningful c...

Send us Fan Mail This episode is basically a training recap and a reality check for anyone trying to level up in origin and cause—especially in motor vehicle fires and evidence handling . Scott Kuhlman and Chasity Owens kick things off by talking about hosting multiple IAAI classes in Orange County, including the newer Evidence Collection course and the Evidence Collection Technician (ECT) practic...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Scott Kuhlman and Chasity Owens kick off an exciting new series diving deep into NFPA 921—starting with one of the most critical chapters in the entire guide: Chapter 4, Basic Methodology. This episode blends expert-level fire investigation insight with the podcast’s signature humor, storytelling, and real-world case experience. Scott and Chasity introduce their b...

Send us Fan Mail On this episode, Scott and Chasity go deep into a real commercial structure fire that went all the way to jury trial—and nearly got labeled as “negative corpus” by the defense. They walk through the fire from first alarm to conviction: a midnight manual pull station, sprinklers flowing on stacked cardboard, a lone security guard, multiple small fires at knee height, and no obvious...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Chasity and Scott head to Florida to sit down with newly elected Florida Chapter President Joe Pietrafesa and newly elected Vice President Stephen Dollar. Recorded on Disney property during the state conference, this conversation dives into the real-world challenges fire investigators are facing today—from AI-altered photographs and manipulated metadata to the inc...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, spooky season banter quickly gives way to a masterclass on interviewing for fire investigation : open-ended vs. leading questions, letting witnesses talk without interruption, taking notes without breaking rapport, and using scene walk-throughs to correct memory gaps and build timelines. We unpack subrogation in plain English, why early investigator deployment is...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Chasity and Scott dig into how real-world investigators apply NFPA 921 on scene and on the stand—focusing on why we qualify conclusions (not quantify them), how to express confidence without the discredited “reasonable degree of scientific certainty,” and practical ways to navigate internal and external pressure during origin-and-cause work. You’ll also hear quick...

Send us Fan Mail In this Embercast episode, brought to you by the Fire Investigation INFOCUS Podcast , hosts Chasity Owens and Scott Kuhlman sit down with Illinois firefighters and investigators Bob and Zig to discuss Project Fire Buddies — a powerful nonprofit connecting fire departments with families of children facing chronic or life-threatening illnesses. What began as one firefighter’s compas...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Scott Kuhlman and Chasity Owens recap a high-energy week teaching “AI for Fire Investigators” with the Illinois Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators in Peoria—what they changed from earlier classes, why transparent prompting and hands-on tools boosted engagement, and how they’ll evolve live demos next time. They unpack a standout burn-ce...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to Fire Investigation in Focus ! In this episode, hosts Scott Kuhlman and Chasity Owens dive deep into the world of fire patterns, fire effects, and origin determination , bringing both practical field experience and NFPA 921 insights straight to your headphones. We kick things off by introducing Ember Casts —shorter, 10–20 minute mini-episodes designed to drop in bet...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the very first EmberCast , a new short-form addition to the Fire Investigation INFOCUS Podcast. These mini-episodes are designed to spark curiosity and deliver timely insights in between our full episodes. In this kickoff EmberCast, Chasity and Scott are joined by Jesse Sprague , founder of Echo Spectra, to talk about an innovative new tool for wildfire investigation. J...