The Seventeenth Annual Fire Investigators Training Conference will be held March 28 - 30, 2008 at the Holiday Inn City Center (Downtown Peoria), 500 Hamilton Blvd., Peoria, IL. All classes are tested and sanctioned by the Illinois Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators.
Exams for the IAAI-CFI program may be available if setup with the International office in advance. Contact the International Office at (314) 739-4224 for more information.
| Schedule |
| Friday, March 28, 2008 | |
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| 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. | Registration |
| 6:30 p.m. - 7:15 p.m. | Freedom of Information Act Maureen Cunningham, OSFM Attorney |
| 7:15 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. | Illinois Terrorism |
| 9:30 p.m.- Midnight | Hospitality Room |
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| Saturday, March 29, 2008 | |
| 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. | Registration |
| 7:15 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. | Welcoming Comments |
| 8:00 a.m. - Noon | CFI Professionalism Overview, Fire Science for the CSI, Scene Processing Issues & Interviewing Senior Special Agent Howard A. Marcus, ATF Special Agent Mark Mutz, ATF Special Agent John Gamboa, ATF |
| Noon - 1:00 p.m. | Lunch (provided) |
| 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. | CFI Professionalism Overview, Fire Science for the CSI, Scene Processing Issues & Interviewing (cont.) Senior Special Agent Howard A. Marcus, ATF Special Agent Mark Mutz, ATF Special Agent John Gamboa, ATF |
| 5:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | IAAI Illinois Chapter Meeting |
| 5:30 p.m. - Midnight | Hospitality Room |
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| Sunday, March 30, 2008 | |
| 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. | John Stanko, Central Illinois MABAS Operations Branch Chief |
| 9:00 a.m. - Noon | Chip Wilmot, Special Investigator, State Farm Insurance |
| Noon | Conference Adjourned |
Certificates will be available after the conclusion of the Sunday session.
| Instructors/Courses |
Freedom of Information Act
Marueen Cunningham
OSFM Attorney
Maureen P. Cunningham graduated from the University of Notre Dame Law School in 1989. Since that time, she has represented individuals, businesses, insurance companies, universities and school districts in both state and federal court on a wide variety of criminal and civil matters. She joined the Office of the State Fire Marshal in 2005 as Assistant General Counsel. As such, she is responsible for reviewing and handling all necessary legal matters for the agency.
CFI Professionalism Overview, Fire Science for the CFI, Scene Processing Issues & Interviewing
Howard A. Marcus
ATF Senior Special Agent
Special Agent Howard Marcus came to ATF in 1987 after working for a municipal police department in the Chicago suburbs for 5 years and a corporate loss prevention department for 2 ˝ years. Special Agent Marcus is an Honor Graduate of Western Illinois University with a BS in Law Enforcement Administration and Political Science and earned a second BS in Fire and Safety Engineering Technology at the University of Cincinnati. Special Agent Marcus is a Distinguished Honor Graduate of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. He is an ATF Certified Explosives Specialist, a Special Agent/Medic, Certified Fire Investigator and a member of the ATF Nation Response Team. Special Agent Marcus is also certified as a Fire Fighter II, Fire Investigator and Hazardous Materials Technician B by the Illinois Office of the State Fire Marshal and is a National Registry and Illinois Department of Public Health Licensed Emergency Medical Technician – Intermediate.
Special Agent Marcus has served in the ATF Chicago Field Division in Explosives, Arson, Intelligence, Firearms and Project LEAD (Firearms Trafficking) Groups and as a detailed Operations Officer; as the ATF Operations Officer on the Atlanta Bomb Task Force, as the ATF Representative to the Chicago FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, on detail as a Project Officer in the Explosives Technology Branch at ATF Headquarters, and participated in Title III operation in the Chicago and Louisville Field Divisions.
John Gamboa
ATF Special Agent
John Gamboa has been an ATF Special Agent since 1984 and a Certified Fire Investigator (CFI) since 1996. Special Agent Gamboa assisted in the development and implementation of the Fire Investigation Task Forces currently operating in Northern Illinois, and he currently teaches at the University of Illinois, Fire Service Institute, College of DuPage, The National Fire Academy, and the ATF National and International Academy.
Mark Mutz
ATF Special Agent
Special Agent Mutz is a polygraph examiner for the ATF. He began his career in 1982 as a patrol officer with the Charleston Police Department in South Carolina. In 1987, Special Agent Mutz joined the ATF. He served in Alabama and at ATF National Headquarters in Washington, DC, prior to his assignment to the Nashville Field Division as a Special Agent/Polygraph Examiner. Special Agent Mutz was trained as a polygraph examiner at the Department of Defense Polygraph Institute in 1999, and in 2001 he received his Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology.
John Stanko
Central Illinois MABAS Operations Branch Chief
John Stanko currently serves as MABAS Operations Branch Chief for the Central Region of Illinois. He previously served for more than 32 years with the Canton Fire Department, retiring in 2007 after serving more than eight years as Fire Chief. Stanko has 25 years of both criminal and civil fire investigation experience. He is a Certified Fire Investigator and Certified Arson Investigator. He has been a member of the Central Illinois Fire Investigator’s Association, International Association of Arson Investigators, and Illinois Chapter IAAI for 25 years. John has instructed classes related to fire and arson investigation at both the local and state level.
Chip Wilmot
Special Investigator, State Farm Insurance
Chip Wilmot has been working for State Farm Insurance since 1989. He spent two years as a claim representative handling property claims, and 17 years in the Special Investigative Unit. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Fire and Safety Engineering Technology from Eastern Kentucky University. Wilmot has attended numerous conferences relating to fire investigation and has taught many classes, including the insurance portion of the Arson Modules. He is a member of the Central Illinois Fire Investigator’s Association and the International Association of Arson Investigators, as well as the Illinois Chapter if the IAAI. He has been involved in the fire service since 1983 and has held the position of Chief of the Germantown Hills Fire Protection District since 1997.
Disclaimer: No liability is assumed by the Central Illinois Fire Investigators Association for changes in program content, speakers, or venue. The speakers presentation and content of program are the responsibility of the individual instructors and not necessarily endorsed by any of the persons or organizations associated with this seminar.
| Hotel Information |
Please note this is a different hotel than last year.
Holiday Inn City Centre500 Hamilton Blvd.
Peoria, IL 61614
(Downtown Peoria)
(309) 674-2500
FAX (309) 674-8705
Indoor pool, sauna, whirlpool, and fitness center.
$93 Single or Double occupancy plus taxes
on or before
Wednesday, February 27, 2008.
To hold your room(s) on a guaranteed arrival basis, contact the hotel at (309) 674-2500 before Wednesday, February 27, 2008. Tell them you are attending the Central Illinois Fire Investigators Conference.
| Scholarship |
The Miller/Grier Memorial Scholarship was established in 1991 in honor of two founding CIFIA members and State Arson Investigators, Hollis Miller and James Grier. The conference established the funding and promotes the scholarships that are offered semi-annually.
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