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 value-add, and how to avoid bias from client synopses. Real cases include a mid-slope wildland start clarified by witness video, an LA industrial strip with two separate fires hours apart, and a garage Li-ion incident with practical safety takeaways. Tools mentioned include PLAUD for transcription and LLMs for formatting—not for conclusions. We close with “Use It in a Sentence” on ambient, a roundup of WTF Trainings, and a two-fer homework: interview vs. interrogation—what’s the difference?
Resources mentioned (non-sponsored)
- PLAUD (Plaud Note) – audio capture/transcription used to create interview transcripts.
- LLMs (e.g., Gemini/ChatGPT/Claude) – used only to format summaries from transcripts.
WTF Trainings (as mentioned on the show)
- Alabama ATC 2025 — Oct 27–29, Orange Beach, AL
- Florida IAAI Chapter (Lake Buena Vista) — Nov 3–6
- Idaho Chapter Annual Conference — Nov 4–6, Twin Falls, ID
- Hispano Americano ATC 2025 — Nov 11–14, Santa Martha, Colombia
- Ohio IAAI Investigation Seminar 2025 — Nov 12–13, OH
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