Kirk's Fire Investigation

David J. Icove, PhD, PE, CFEI-NAFI, CFI-IAAI, F.SFPE, F.NAFE

An internationally recognized forensic fire engineering expert with more than 45 years of experience, Dr. Icove is coauthor of Kirk’s Fire Investigation, 7th ed., Forensic Fire Scene Reconstruction, both leading treatises in the field, and Combating Arson-for-Profit,the leading textbook on the crime of economic arson. Since 1992 he has served and maintained an appointment as a principal member of the NFPA 921 Technical Committee on Fire Investigations. He is also chair of NPFA 901 – Committee on Fire Reporting.

As a retired career federal law enforcement agent, Dr. Icove served as a criminal investigator on the federal, state, and local levels. He is a Registered Professional Engineer, a Certified Fire Investigator (CFI) from the International Association of Arson Investigators, a Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator (CFEI) from the National Association of Fire Investigators, a Fellow in the Society of Fire Protection Engineers, and a Board Certified Diplomat and Fellow in the National Academy of Forensic Engineers (NAFE).

He retired in 2005 as an Inspector in the Criminal Investigations Division of the US Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Police, Knoxville, Tennessee, where he was assigned for his last 2 years to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF). In addition to conducting major case investigations, Dr. Icove oversaw the development of advanced fire investigation training and technology programs in cooperation with various agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) US Fire Administration.

Before transferring to the US TVA Police in 1993, he served 9 years as a program manager in the elite Behavioral Science and Criminal Profiling Units at the FBI, Quantico, Virginia. At the FBI, he implemented and became the first supervisor of the Arson and Bombing Investigative Support (ABIS) Program, staffed by FBI and ATF criminal profilers. Prior to his work at the FBI, Dr. Icove served as a criminal investigator at arson bureaus of the Knoxville Police Department, the Ohio State Fire Marshal’s Office, and the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office.

His expertise in forensic fire scene reconstruction is based on a blend of on-scene experience, conducting of fire tests and experiments, and participation in prison interviews of convicted arsonists and bombers. He has testified as an expert witness in civil and criminal trials, as well as before US congressional committees seeking guidance on key arson investigation and legislative initiatives.

Dr. Icove holds BS and MS degrees in Electrical Engineering and a PhD in Engineering Science and Mechanics from the University of Tennessee. He also holds a BS degree in Fire Protection Engineering from the University of Maryland–College Park. He is currently the UL Professor of Practice in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville; serves on the faculty of the University of Maryland’s Professional Master of Engineering in Fire Protection program; and serves as an Investigator in the Knox County Fire Investigation Unit and as a Reserve Deputy Sheriff for the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, Knoxville, Tennessee.

Gerald A. Haynes, MSFPE, PE, CFEI-NAFI, M.NAFE

Gerald A. Haynes is a Registered Professional Engineer with more than 40 years of experience in the field of fire protection. He holds both BS and MS degrees in Fire Protection Engineering from the University of Maryland—College Park. He has worked in fire suppression operations, fire safety inspections, fire investigations, and fire protection engineering. He is currently the Vice President of Forensic Fire Analysis, LLC, and serves as an adjunct lecturer for the Office of Advanced Engineering Education at the University of Maryland.

Mr. Haynes’s extensive experience includes work at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Building and Fire Research Laboratory and the US Department of Justice, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). His experience is multidimensional, including municipal fire service, fire and explosion investigations, complex case analysis and engineering support, expert testimony, and military service. He has provided testimony as an expert witness in state and federal courts in cases related to fire cause and fire testing protocols. He has conducted numerous presentations in the United States and internationally in the areas of fire dynamics, fire modeling, and forensic fire engineering analysis.

He currently is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE), the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI), and the Institute of Forensic Investigation. He is a former member of the technical committees of NFPA 921 Fire and Explosion Investigations, and NFPA 1033 Standard for Professional Qualifications for Fire Investigator.