08/26/2026
What a great day for hands-on fire investigation training! Members of the Omaha Fire Department, Papillion Fire Department, and Kearney Volunteer Fire Department, along with investigators from the South Dakota Department of Public Safety, Omaha Police Department, Sarpy County Sheriff's Office, and even a few private sector investigators came together for a full day of practical fire investigation exercises.
Participants worked through multiple fire scenes in a group setting, examining fire patterns, determining areas of origin, evaluating potential ignition sources, and discussing their findings with fellow investigators. It was a great opportunity to step away from the classroom and put investigative experience and knowledge to work in realistic fire scenarios.
We also had the opportunity to support some cross-disciplinary training with the Omaha Police Department, who brought one of their bloodhounds, Willow, to conduct training alongside our burn scenarios. It was great to see different disciplines take advantage of the same training environment and work together.
A huge THANK YOU to the Gretna Fire Department for providing the facility and assisting with the burn operations. We greatly appreciate your willingness to support fire investigation training and make an event like this possible.
Another big thank you to Tim Gosch with Paul Davis of Omaha for providing lunch and, more importantly, for being such a strong supporter of the Nebraska Chapter IAAI and fire investigation. Your continued support is greatly appreciated!
And finally, thank you to everyone who participated and helped make the day a success. Training opportunities like this are only possible because of the willingness of agencies, investigators, and industry partners to work together, share knowledge, and support one another.
Great people. Great training. Great day. 🔥
