Middlesex County Fire Academy 

DAVID KIRCHER

David Kircher has served the fire service since 1975 as both a volunteer and career firefighter. In 1981 David became a member of the East Orange Fire Department Arson Squad and was appointed to the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms & Explosives Arson Task Force in the City of Newark, NJ. During that time David attended numerous training schools and academies including the National Fire Academy and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. This included the ATF’s Advanced Arson for Profit Investigation Techniques training course.

In 1989 David transferred to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office and remained with the Arson Task Force. During his career in the public sector David investigated over two thousand fires and explosions career and received numerous awards for his expertise. These investigations included a number of successful “Arson for Profit prosecutions. In 1993 Mr. Kircher was named the International Association of Arson Investigators Investigator of the Year for his work on a number of complex arson cases including three different arson homicide investigations. He also participated in the New City Abortion Clinic Bombings investigation in 1986, the Thomas Mosser UNABOMB investigation in North Caldwell, NJ on December 10, 1994, the three-and-a-half-year investigation of the Seton Hall University fire that killed three students on January 19, 2000, and the World Trade Center attack on September 11, 2001.

David retired from the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office as an arson and bombing investigator on April 1, 2005. During his tenure he earned three Class A, one Class B, and two Class C commendations for both valor and meritorious work on various investigations.

Since his retirement from the public sector, David has worked as a fire and explosion investigator for O’Neill Associates and has conducted over 1,260 fire investigations.

David is certified instructor with the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice Police Training Commission and serves as a staff instructor at both the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice’s Basic Course for Investigators Training Academy in Sea Girt, New Jersey; and their NJIAAI Basic Course for Arson Investigators training course at the Middlesex County Fire Academy in Sayreville, New Jersey

David has lectured at numerous seminars throughout the United States and Canada.

STEPHEN KIRCHER

Stephen Kircher has been a volunteer firefighter with Manasquan Volunteer Engine Co. #2 since 2009. During this time, Stephen has responded to hundreds of incidents, including alarms, structure fires, motor vehicle accidents, etc. Stephen has also attended numerous in-service training classes to maintain his proficiency within the fire service.

In 2014, Stephen completed the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice 90 Hour Basic Course for Arson Investigators. Completing this course afforded Stephen the opportunity to conduct origin & cause investigations along side Fire Investigator David W. Kircher of O’Neill Associates. Since 2014, Stephen has assisted Investigator Kircher with approximately 150 origin & cause investigations. In 2018, Stephen obtained his Certified Fire & Explosion Investigator credential through the National Association of Fire Investigators.

Stephen began his law enforcement career with the Manasquan Police Department in 2014 and was hired as a Patrolman in 2016. After two years, Stephen transferred to the Eatontown Police Department in 2018 and is currently assigned as a Patrolman. During his law enforcement career, Stephen has affected numerous arrests for various criminal investigations. Stephen has also testified before state grand jury for various criminal investigations on numerous occasions. 

After obtaining his accounting degree in 2012, Stephen attended Carlow University in 2019, and graduated with a Master of Science in Financial Fraud & Forensics in 2020. In 2022, Stephen obtained his Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) credential through the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

2022 Edition of NFPA 1033

Topics in the updated edition of NFPA 1033, Standard for Professional Qualifications for Fire Investigator, cover the full range of investigation issues encountered on the job, including the following:

• Scene examination
• Documenting the scene
• Evidence collection and preservation
• Interviewing
• Post-incident investigation
• Presentation of findings

Quality investigations start with qualified investigators.

Personnel need to be prepared with the most up-to-date knowledge when facing fire risks, arson, and other hazards in both the private and public sectors. Updates were made to align the 2022 edition of NFPA 1033, Standard for Professional Qualifications for Fire Investigator, more closely with NFPA 921, Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations, because it is common practice for fire investigators to use both standards. Requirements were also updated and simplified for end users’ understanding and ease of use.

The actions and conclusions of fire investigators can have serious consequences from legal and economic standpoints, so it is essential that they be fully qualified to evaluate the situation and circumstances so they can conduct complete, accurate investigations.

2021 Edition of NFPA 921

The 2021 edition marks some of the most substantial changes since the original publication of the document.

The Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations offers the most complete and relevant industry information and practices. The publication features full-color images that convey core concepts and examples to provide you with deeper insight into fundamental investigation methodologies.

Notable changes in the 2021 edition include:

• Relocation of fire pattern text found throughout NFPA 921 into Chapter 6
• Restructured and rewritten Chapter 6, including the combination of fire patterns and arc-mapping as a single process of origin determination to account for the reclassification of arc mapping as a form of fire pattern analysis
• Deletion of Chapter 20, Classification of Fire Cause, and addition to Chapter 19, Fire Cause Determination, directing investigators to other standards should they need to classify the fire cause
• Revision and addition of text covering ignitable liquid detection canines (IGL canines) including training and certification
• Revised Chapter 14, Sources of Information, and substantial rewrite in relation to non-scene data

Access Link for NFPA 921 2021 Edition