Basic Fire Investigation Program

S.C. State Fire partners with local fire investigators, insurance industry investigators, SLED, ATF, and S.C. IAAI to offer its Basic Fire Investigations course. This course is open to all South Carolina fire service and law enforcement personnel.

Each six-day, 48-hour course is designed to cover the basic principles and practices of fire investigation through NFPA 1033-Standard for Professional Qualifications for Fire Investigator and NFPA 921-Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations.

Topics include: Fire scene investigation methodology, scene safety, basic fire science, fire patterns, building systems, electrical systems, appliances, fuel systems, human behavior, origin determination, cause determination, classification of cause, legal considerations, evidence, and documentation.

Successful students receive an IFSAC-Fire Investigator I certificate and are eligible to apply for ProBoard certification. This course meets the pre-requisite to apply for IAAI Fire Investigation Technician certification.

This course is hosted twice a year on the S.C. State Fire campus in Columbia, S.C. and has a competitive application process. Applications are only accepted in the Fall of each year, and acceptance notifications are made just after the first of each year for both classes that year.

2027 Application Period to Open July 1, 2026 through October 30, 2026 at 5pm E.S.T.

SC Criminal Justice Academy Approval

IAAI Approval

Course Dates

Monday, March 15 thru Saturday, March 20, 2027

Monday, September 13 thru Saturday, September 18, 2027

Course Prerequisites

Application Process: Due to limited seating, this is a competitive application process.

An applicant must submit the following four items as one PDF:

• ☐ A recommendation letter from the fire chief/police chief/sheriff or training officer. If the applicant is the Chief, the immediate supervisor must write/sign a letter of recommendation. The letter must include a description of job duties as well as how the agency will utilize the student's training.
• ☐ A resume showing at least three to five years of emergency response experience, or equivalent related training.

• ☐ CFI Trainer transcript*, showing completion of the following online classes:

  • Documenting the Event
  • Ethics and the Fire Investigator
  • Fatal Fires: An Introduction
  • Fire Investigator Scene Safety
  • Fire Protection Systems
  • Fundamentals of Residential Building Construction
  • Introduction to Evidence
  • Introduction to Fire Dynamics and Modeling
  • Motor Vehicles: Investigation
  • NFPA 1033 and Your Career 2025
  • Physical Evidence at the Fire Scene
  • Search and Seizure
  • The Practical Application of the Relationship Between NFPA 1033 and NFPA 921
  • The Scientific Method for Fire and Explosion Investigation
  • Understanding Fire Through the Candle Experiments
  • Writing the Initial Origin and Cause Report
• Unofficial CFI Trainer Transcript Acceptable

• ☐ Completed SCFA Registration form

  (Available When the Application Period Opens: July 1, 2026)

For questions, please contact Scott Ensminger.