Discover Arson Investigator, Arson Investigation Schools, Jobs, and Careers

This is where arson investigators come in. While the fire investigator is figuring out what caused the fire, the arson investigator’s job is to figure out who’s done it. In the course of doing an investigation, the arson investigator will perform the following:

1. Interview the accuser to determine why the accuser feels arson has been committed
2. Interview witnesses, including firefighters, to gather facts
3. Dig through the debris to gather evidence
4. Reconstruct and document the fire scene
5. Consult with insurance companies to help determine motives
6. Consult with experts
7. Prepare report of his or her findings
8. Assist in the prosecution of offenders by testifying in court
9. Etc.

Arson investigators must follow federal, state, and local laws when conducting their investigation. Violations of these laws could make their evidence inadmissible in court. Needless to say, this could lead to an arsonist being set free.

How to Become an Arson Investigator:
Proving arson is difficult at best. This is why it is hard to hire somebody off the street to become an arson investigator. Most arson investigators start out from the law enforcement and firefighting fields.

Most organizations that hire arson investigators advise that you start out by volunteering at your local fire department as a firefighter. This way you can begin to understand the dynamics of fire. While doing this, you can start taking arson investigation courses. These courses will help you get certification as an arson investigator.

There are two organizations that can certify you as an arson investigator. One of them is the International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI). The other is the National Association of Fire Investigators (NAFI).

ATF is one of the organizations that hire arson investigators. They require that their agents have at least a bachelor’s degree. They will hire you with this degree and then send you to their arson training academy.

Arson Investigator Salary:
Arson investigators have one of the highest average salaries we have ever seen. Their average pay per year is $82,000. The highly experienced ones make over $100,000 per year.

The reason for the above high average salary is understandable. In most cases, you have to be experienced in other careers to get the arson investigator job. Like we said above, the preferred careers are law enforcement or firefighting.

If you are interested in a law enforcement career to eventually become an arson investigator, you may want to consider joining the ATF. This will require your getting a bachelor degree. You should consider getting your degree in criminal justice, policing, or law enforcement.

There are online schools that will help you get a bachelor’s degree in policing, law enforcement, or criminal justice without putting a hold to your current life. One of them is University of Phoenix online. Follow this link to get their free no obligation information.

Another one is CTU Online. You can also follow this link to get their free information. It may be a good idea to get both information and see which one works better for you.