The summer of 2002 I began my internship with Kodiak Enterprises, Inc. I started the summer still being very unsure of what I wanted to do with the rest of my life after graduation. I was weighing my options, and frankly nothing really caught my attention. The whole reason that I took this internship was to find out if I would enjoy fire investigation. Because of my involvement with this internship throughout the summer, I have decided whole-heartedly that fire investigation is what I want to do with the rest of my life. The following is a brief look into some of my experiences throughout the summer at my internship at Kodiak Enterprises. First, I will introduce the two men that taught me about fire investigation, then I will describe what these two outstanding fire investigators taught me during my experiences at the internship.

First, my experiences at this internship were outstanding because of the two men who taught me about fire investigation. Dan Churchward is the owner of Kodiak Enterprises, Inc. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering Technology from Purdue University. His first job before he went back to school was as a deputy for the Allen County Sheriff’s Department. His first job directly involving fire investigation was when he started working for Barker and Herbert Labs in Fort Wayne, IN. He then went to Royal Insurance as their expert fire investigator that dealt with major losses, which is any loss that is greater then a million dollars. He is a member of many professional societies. The most important of these include the National Fire Protection Association 921 Technical Committee Chairman (NFPA 921: A Guide to Fire and Explosion Investigation). He is one of the founding members and has played a major role in writing and correcting this document. He also puts on many seminars and is highly regarded as an expert fire investigator.

Dan’s associate that I spent most of my time with this summer is Denny Smith. He graduated from John Hopkins University with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice. Denny worked full time for the Atlantic City fire department for twenty-three years. His first nine years he spent as a basic firefighter, and the next fourteen years he spent as a fire inspector and a fire investigator. He joined Kodiak Enterprises, Inc. after he had retired. He also belongs to many professional societies. The most important of these include the NFPA 921 technical committee in which he is one of the founding members. Denny is also renowned as an expert fire investigator.

From these two men, I first learned the importance of documentation of the fire scene, including sketches, photographs, notes, and interviews. My first assignment when we would arrive onto a fire scene was to make a sketch of the entire building. This whole time the investigators would be taking photographs of the entire building. There are a lot of skills in which I was taught about documentation. For example, when drawing sketches when there is a window in the room, three different measurements need to be taken: one from the floor to the sill, one as the length, and finally one for the height. This was because in a computer-modeling program, all three dimensions are needed for ventilation effects.

Next, I learned that when taking photographs, the first photo should always show the north side of the building. This allows the investigator taking photographs to help orientate where he or she is when looking at the photographs later. Also, photographs should be taken from all corners along with the north, east, west, and south sidewalls to show the orientation of walls with others. Photographs should be taken starting from a distance away and then followed by close-ups of the items in which are important to the case. This is important because it gives the small item that is being photographed an orientation in the room. I also learned how to make mosaics out of pictures to show the all around view of a room or a building.

Finally, I learned a lot about the chemistry of fire and the patterns that fire makes. I learned the most about cause and origin determination, because this is Dan and Denny’s specialty and their knowledge is very great in this area. In addition, I got the chance to see the scientific method work in real life. I also got the chance to see how a business is run and how it is operated in the real world. I learned how to deal with people, mainly lawyers. Also, I learned better people skills and how to act properly at business dinners and formal occasions.

In conclusion, this internship at Kodiak Enterprises has been a positive opportunity that has provided me with useful resources, learning tools and skills, and outstanding experiences that have helped me make a decision to start a career in fire investigation.

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