Our Chapter
Welcome Prospective Members
Message from our committee chair, Kerry Barnett:
Welcome to the Florida Chapter membership page! If you are currently a member you may have noticed, the Chapter has been making some changes, if you are a first timer take time and explore the web-site to learn more about the Chapter. First of all the web-site became more user friendly and will be easier to find what you are looking for. Several items we have or will be added, including the Chapter Store, a Chapter Calendar, Advertisement, and a member profile section. Check it out and let us know what you think.
With membership it has been an exciting year. The Chapter continues to grow and currently is over 400 members consisting of both active members (Florida Chapter & IAAI) and Chapter only members. An active member cab be any representative of government or a government agency or any representative of a business or industrial concern who, at the time of application, is not less than 21 years of age and is engaged in some phase of fire investigation and provided that such person is an active member of the IAAI. The cost of the annual membership is $105.00, which is a membership to the IAAI and the Chapter. A active member can participate in the annual conference of each organization, obtain fire investigation training around the country at a discounted rate, gain $10,000 of life insurance through the IAAI, access to CFItrainer.net, newsletters and/or magazines, and have voting rights in each organization. The best thing about the active membership is one receives membership to two organizations. The applications of both organizations allow for one payment to belong to the Chapter and the IAAI. The importance of this is the economy. With a lot of employers only paying for one type of membership, the active (joint) membership is the best bang for the buck!
Chapter only members are considered as “Associate” members through the bylaws. The cost of this annual membership is $30.00 with renewals occurring in January every year. The biggest difference in the two memberships is, Chapter only members cannot vote in the respective elections with either organization. Discounts in training would only apply to Chapter offered training and there would be no life insurance. You can still participate in CFItrainer.net and in the each organizations annual conference; however the fee to attend the IAAI will be higher. If your agency is feeling the crunch of the economy and doesn’t participate on the national level, then the associate membership is definitely the route to go. Thirty dollars for annual dues is inexpensive for the quality of training we provide around the State that you will have the opportunity to attend.
The Chapter’s main goal is to provide quality education. Therefore, each regional director is responsible to put together a full day of regional training in his or hers area. In addition to the regional, an annual conference is also held in October of each year. With each educational opportunity, the member may take an exam to obtain CEU’s toward obtaining or renewing the IAAI CFI (certified fire investigator). Currently CEU’s can also be applied toward the renewal of the State’s municipal fire safety inspector and fire service instructor. This is an area we hope to broaden in the future. To assist with providing education, the Chapter keeps the cost of the class down to a manageable fee and has scholarships for the Annual Conference, the Ryan Ward Scholarship and the Past President’s Scholarship. Applications for both can be obtained on the web-site. Another exciting thing is about our education is the partnerships we have formed. We have teamed up with the Florida Fire Marshals and Inspectors Association and the Florida Fire Investigators Association (section of the FFMIA) at some of our regional’s and the annual conference to provide both an investigator and inspector track to provide a more diverse level of training and more advantageous to you or the agency that may be sending you. In the works is an additional partnership with NSPII to provide training in the insurance field.
The Chapter also likes to recognize its members. Several awards are given out. The Fire Investigator of the Year and Photo of the Year for both arson and accidental related fires. Nominations for the awards can be obtained on this web-site. In addition to the awards, the Chapter, when advised, recognizes those members, who may have achieved or accomplished a goal, whether it is solving an arson related fire, obtaining a new level of certification or being promoted.
This is truly a great organization to be part of for those in the fire investigation field. The networking available and the quality of education provided is excellent! Interested? Join the Florida Chapter and start getting the benefits of membership. Download an application to be either an Active or an Associate Member form this web-site now!
A membership application for active membership or chapter only membership can be downloaded from this page and mailed to the Chapter.