MA-IAAI March Quarterly Training
Date: March 19, 2026
Location: Springfield Technical Community College
IMPORTANT Building Change:
We will be in Building 2, Scibelli Hall. Use parking lot K which is along Pearl Street.
Time: 9:00am – 4:00pm, Registration will begin at 8:00 am.
Price: $50.00 Member, $75.00 Non-member
Topics:
Morning Session:
Breaking Bonds - Fire Dynamics of Pyrolysis and Free Radical Formation
This advanced presentation offers a focused exploration of the chemistry driving fire behavior, emphasizing the molecular mechanisms underlying pyrolysis and the formation of combustion products. It examines how heat initiates the breakdown of solid fuels into gaseous products, how free radicals form and propagate exothermic reactions, and why these processes are fundamental to understanding flame development, smoke composition, and fire growth. The presentation provides investigators with a better understanding of the scientific principles governing fire dynamics.
Afternoon Session:
Heat Lamp Fires
This presentation provides a detailed examination of how various lighting/heating methods including incandescent, halogen, ceramic heat emitters, fluorescent/CFL, and LED bulbs, generate heat and how their thermal characteristics can contribute to fire ignition scenarios. It explains the temperature profiles and functional uses of each lamp type discussed. These foundational principles are then applied to multiple real‑world fire investigations, culminating in a detailed case study that demonstrates how improper use, mechanical failure, and mismanagement of heat‑producing lamps can ignite adjacent combustible materials. The presentation underscores the importance of unbiased investigative methodology, a nuanced understanding of heat‑generating devices, and the integration of forensic electrical analysis in accurately determining fire origin and cause.
Speaker: Kolin Kubitz, MS, IAAI – CFI, NAFI – CFEI
Kolin Kubitz is a private fire and explosion investigator based in Appleton, Wisconsin, holding both the Certified Fire Investigator (CFI) from the International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI) and the Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator (CFEI) from the National Association of Fire Investigators (NAFI). He earned a Bachelor of Science from Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota, and went on to complete a Master of Science in Forensic Science at Oklahoma State University. Kolin coordinates and instructs an IAAI-approved 40-hour Fundamentals of Fire Investigation course and is an instructor for the Wisconsin Chapter of the IAAI, numerous Wisconsin fire departments, and Waukesha County Technical College, where he shares his expertise in origin and cause investigations, forensic methodology, and fire dynamics.
Be sure to register today.