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 tim.costa@itl.us 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.
Thank you for listening!
If you enjoyed the episode, give us 5 stars, hit the follow button, and subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and anywhere you are listening in from.
Follow us on social media!
Instagram: @infocus_podcast
LinkedIn: INFOCUS podcast
Facebook: INFOCUS podcast
TikTok: @infocus_podcast
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.