Fire Investigation INFOCUS podcast

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S.3 Ep.20- NFPA 921 Chapter 8 Summary: Active Fire Protection Systems

2026-09-3059:47

Send us Fan Mail What can fire alarms, sprinkler systems, and suppression equipment reveal about a fire? In this episode, Scott Kuhlman and Chasity Owens explore NFPA 921 (2024), Chapter 8: Active Fire Protection Systems, and how these systems can help investigators reconstruct fire timelines, evaluate fire spread, and test origin and cause hypotheses. They discuss fire alarm event logs, smoke and heat detection, projected beam detectors, linear heat detection, acoustic soot agglomeration, an...

Embercast 5- Smart Outlets at Fire Scenes: Research with Madison Hall and Elias Phipps student and alumni of Eastern Kentucky University

2026-09-2311:59

Send us Fan Mail What can a fire investigator learn from the remains of a burned smart outlet? In this short episode, Chasity and Scott speak with Eastern Kentucky University students Madison Hall and Elias Phipps at the 2026 IAAI International Training Conference in St. Louis. They discuss their research on identifying Wi-Fi-enabled smart outlets after a fire and distinguishing their components from those of standard AC adapters. Madison and Elias burned and disassembled devices, then docume...

S.3 Ep.19- Remembering 9/11, Stories From The Field, & Overdue Fan Mail

2026-09-1601:05:06

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Scott Kuhlman and Chasity Owens reflect on the 25th remembrance of September 11, 2001. Chasity shares what she remembers as a first grader in Kentucky, while Scott recalls watching the attacks as an off-duty firefighter and the lasting changes they brought to fire-service security, training, and emergency preparedness. Scott and Chasity also catch up on listener messages from aspiring and working fire investigators. They discuss the importance of continuing e...

S.3 Ep.18- NFPA 921 Chapter 7 Summary- Building Systems

2026-09-0201:14:11

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Scott Kuhlman and Chasity Owens continue their NFPA 921 series with a breakdown of Chapter 7: Building Systems. They discuss how building design, construction methods, materials, concealed spaces, passive fire protection, and structural components can influence fire development, spread, and collapse. The conversation covers balloon-frame and platform-frame construction, lightweight wood trusses, fire barriers, steel protection methods including intumescent co...

S.3 Ep.17- Snow-Covered Scenes & Unusual Ignition Sequences: Thinking Outside the Box with Investigator Dennis Zigrang

2026-08-1901:04:51

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Scott Kuhlman and Chasity Owens sit down with Fire Investigator Dennis Zigrang of Fire Cause Analysis of Idaho for a wide-ranging conversation about the realities of fire investigation across different environments, career paths, and investigative challenges. Dennis shares his journey from a 25-year career with the Long Beach Police Department into fire investigation, private-sector work, and eventually owning his own fire investigation company. He discusses ...

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