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
NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal
Gregg Rosenthal and a rotating crew of elite NFL Media co-hosts, including Patrick Claybon, Colleen Wolfe, Steve Wyche, Nick Shook and Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic get you caught up daily on all the NFL news and analysis you need to be smarter and funnier than your friends.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com