Certified Fire Investigator
Application Process
Effective July 1, 2017
Use the application below for the new CFI application process. The application is form fillable and can be saved and then emailed to CFIcertifications@ncdoi.gov .
Prerequisite: NC FIT certification is a prerequisite for the NC Certified Fire Arson Investigator Certification and must be completed prior to applying for the NC Certified Fire Arson Investigator.
Reference Material:
- Brady, Prentice Hall, Kirk’s Fire Investigation, 9th Edition
- Jones & Bartlett , Fire Investigator, Principles and Practice, 4th edition
- Jones & Bartlett, Fundamentals of Fire Fighter Skills, 4th edition (Building Construction) NFPA, Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations, NFPA 921, 2017 Edition
- NFPA, Standard for Professional Qualifications for Fire Investigator, NFPA 1033, 2003 Edition
- Arrest, Search, & Seizure by Robert Farb. Sixth Edition, 2021, UNC Press
- Article 15 of the North Carolina General Statues
Effective January 14, 2020: There is no longer a NC FIT equivalency application process.
Recertification Process
All currently certified CFIs will be required to follow the new recertification requirements and will have five years from July 1, 2022 to complete the new requirements, which are as follows:
- Mandatory topics will include Legal Updates once every five years or as prescribed by the Certified Fire Investigator Board
- Completion of four elective courses from the approved Continuing Education (CE) course list.
Approved Classes
Tab/Accordion Items
- NC IAAI Advanced Investigative Approaches NC IAAI Fire Investigative Approaches
- NC Fire Inspector I
- NCETR Advanced Origin and Cause/Court Room Testimony
- NCJA Interview and Interrogation
- IAAI Expert Witness and Court Room Testimony
- NFA RO811 Fire Investigation for Company Officers
- NFA RO255 Fire Investigations: Electrical Systems
- NFA RO204 Fire Investigation: Fire Dynamics and Modeling
- NFA RO214 Fire Investigation Forensic Evidence
- NFA RO208 Fire Investigation: Interview and Testimony
- CFI0001 Expert Witness & Courtroom Testimony Preparation by Instructor Wayne Delancey
- CFI0002 IAAI Expert Witness & Courtroom Testimony (EWCT) by Instructor Wayne Delancey
- CFI0003 Fire Fatality Investigation by Instructor Wayne Delancey
- CFI0004 Commercial Kitchen Fire Investigations by Instructor Wayne Delancey
- CFI0005 Evidence Collection & Documentation by Instructor Wayne Delancey
- CFI0006 25th Annual Fire Investigate Approaches Training Seminar (2022 NC/SC IAAI Conference - Myrtle Beach)
- CFI0007 Fire/Arson Investigation & Arson Case Management by Instructor Steve Riggs
- CFI0008 Up in Smoke by Instructor Lisa Coltrain
- CFI0009 Hands-On Vehicle Fire/Arson Investigation by Instructor Steve Riggs
- CFI00010 Clandestine Drug Lab by Instructor C. Christopher Moody
- CFI00011 RV Fire Investigation by Instructor Tom Lancaster
- CFI00012 Intro to Post Blast Investigate Techniques by Instructor Brian Lovin
- CFI00013 Sovereign Citizens by Instructor William Loucks
- CFI00014 Forensic Anthropology and Burned Remains by Instructor Darren Solomon
- CFI00015 Advance Fire Dynamics by Instructor Darren Solomon
- CFI00016 Fire Scene Photography by Instructor Darren Solomon
- CFI00017 Writing a better Origin and Cause Report by Instructor Darren Solomon
- CFI00018 Electricity and ARC Mapping by Instructor Michael Jordan
- CFI00019 Fire Investigator Continuing Education by Instructor Mark Brown
- CFI00021 Fire Investigator Safety by Instructor Jeff Pauley/Alex VanDongen
- CFI00022 Strategic Suspect Interview Techniques by Instructor Dino Balos
- CFI00023 WCU Burned Remains by Instructor Dr. N. Passalacqua/Dr. R. George
- CFI00024 Li-Ni Batteries by Instructor Michael Abraham
- CFI00025 Fire Dynamics by Instructor Darren Solomon
- CFI00026 Drones (Breakout) by Instructor David McVey
- CFI00027 Safety Practical (Breakout) by Instructor Jeff Pauley
- CFI00028 Austin Bombing by Instructor Brian Lovin
- CFI00029 The Evolution of Energy Storage Systems by Instructor David Brannon
- CFI00030 Up In Smoke 2024 by Instructor Lisa Coltrain
- CFI00031 Advanced Vehicle Fire Investigations by Instructor Wayne Delancey
- CFI00032 Youth Firesetting Prevention and Intervention by Instructor Maria Bostian
- CFI00033 Image Forensics and Document Analysis by Instructor Art Grady
- CFI00034 Arson - Inside the Mind by Instructor Joe Loving
- CFI00035 Report Writing by Instructor John Golder
- CFI00036 How Building Construction, Building Systems & the Fire Code effect Fire Investigations by Instructor Jon Williams
- CFI00037 Digital Twin Technology by Instructor Seth Finkle
- CFI00038 Case Study using Digital Technology by Instructor John Webster
- CFI00039 Resume and CV Preparation by Instructor Chris Elrod
- CFI00040 The Reid Technique of Investigative Interviewing and Advance Interrogations by Instructor Michael Adamec
- CFI00041 Scene Photography for Fire Investigators by Instructor Bill States
- CFI00042 Fire Investigation Prosecution 101 by Instructor Bill States
- CFI00043 Fire Protection Systems for Fire Investigators by Instructor Bill States
- CFI00044 Basic Motor Vehicle Fire Investigation by Instructor Bill States
- CFI00045 Explosive Awareness for Arson Investigators by Instructors Bill States and Jason Hunter
- CFI00046 Evidence Collection by Instructor Michael Jordan
- CFI00047 Lithium-Ion Battery Fires by Instructor George Codding
- CFI00048 Behind the Caution Tape: A closer look at Fire Origin & Cause investigation by Instructor George A. Codding
- NC Hazardous Materials Technician
- NFA or Equivalent Chemistry of Hazardous Materials
- NCJA Chemical Processing and Advanced Photography
- NCJA Crime Scene Investigation
- NCJA General Criminal Investigations
- NCJA Recognizing Insurance Fraud
Instructors interested in submitting a course for continuing education credit should review the CFI Continuing Education Course Submittal Policy.
CFI Continuing Education Course Submittal Policy
Fire Arson Investigator Course Approval Form