Dennis Allen Shaw Jr.
Zephyrhills,FL
Summary
With over seven years of experience in fire investigation, I possess a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of the field. As a Cause and Origin Investigator and fire service instructor, I have honed my skills in investigating fires and determining fire causation. Collaborating with Pasco County Sheriff's Office investigators, we have conducted thorough investigations into numerous fires. Through advanced training in Origin and Cause investigations, I have become adept at identifying the various causations of fires. Throughout my career, I have personally handled approximately 500 fire cases involving both real and personal property, serving as the primary investigator for origin and cause investigations. Additionally, I have provided valuable support as a secondary assisting investigator in numerous other fire cases.
Overview
21
21
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Origin and Cause Investigator/ Fire Safety Inspector II
Pasco County Fire Rescue
02.2017 - Current
- Conduct detailed, in-depth fire investigation techniques as described in NFPA 921 and 1033
- Knowledge of building materials, construction practices and mechanical systems related to fire investigation, fire suppression and the safeguarding of lives and property from fire
- Knowledge of laws, court decisions and legal opinions relating to the investigation and prosecution of arsonists and their accomplices in conjunction with the Pasco County Sheriff’s office
- Ability to conduct fire investigations in conformance with legal requirements and procedures
- Prepare and maintain detailed written and oral reports as they pertain to the cause and origin through fire investigation
- Provide sworn testimony in court
- Functioning as a Fire Service Instructor I by aiding in the progression of the investigation division by preparing potential candidates for success with completion of their state required task book covering the required JPR’s within NFPA 921 and 1033
- I also am tasked with maintaining evidence and chain of custody records within the division
- Responsible for technical work as a Fire safety Inspector II involving fire prevention and inspection and promoting fire safety, securing compliance with county and state fire prevention codes and regulations, and conducting fire prevention inspections of new and existing commercial, industrial, and multifamily structures for compliance with fire prevention ordinances
- Inspects for placement and accessibility of fire exits; type, number, and placement of fire extinguishers; placement and pressures of sprinkler systems and heads; use of required fire-retardant materials; placement and functioning of heat and smoke detectors; conformance of occupancy requirements and other fire hazards
- Informs owners, managers, and other responsible parties of violations detected; explains necessary corrections and the date corrections must be made; and issues citations when voluntary compliance is not obtained
- Reviews and approves new commercial construction plans to determine if buildings are being constructed to conform to fire safety codes
- Checks records of fire drills to ascertain their conformance with code-mandated schedules and procedures; observes drills in progress; offers advice to improve evacuation and related fire safety procedures
- Documents findings in narrative and statistical reports
Firefighter/EMT
Pasco County Fire Rescue
11.2003 - 02.2017
- Act as a professional pre-hospital emergency care team member in providing proper comprehensive basic life support treatment, care, and transportation
- General firefighting work in combating, extinguishing, and preventing fires and protecting life and property
- Perform orderly and systematic evaluations and examinations of scenes and patients
- Tasked with providing care, treatment, and transportation of patients in accordance with the knowledge and skills of a Registered Emergency Medical Technician
- Responds to emergencies with fire or rescue companies, performs related functions as required, completes reports and records, operates radios according to system standards and guidelines, attends and participates in company drills and training sessions, and performs related work as required
Education
BA - Fire Department Administration with a concentration in Fire Investigation
Columbia Southern University
10.2022
AS - Fire Science
Columbia Southern University
07.2021
Skills
- Detailed report writing
- Life safety systems
- Structural firefighting
- Basic life support
- Interview techniques
- Fire safety
- Investigation management
- Interviewing witnesses
- Witness interviews
- Evidence processing
- Code enforcement
- Post-fire inspection
Certification
- Fire Investigator (New Curriculum), FL-BFST, 03/2019
- Fire Investigator I and II (Old Version), FL-BFST, 09/2017
- Fire safety Inspector I, FL-BFST, 10/2017
- Fire Officer I, FL-BFST, 10/2015
- Fire Service Instructor I, FL-BFST, 07/2015
- Firefighter II, Hillsborough Community College, 07/2003
- Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Hillsborough Community College, 06/1996
Professional Associations
- International Association of Firefighters (IAFF), 2005-Present
- International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI), 05/2019-Present
- National Association of Fire Investigators (NAFI), 06/2018-Present
- Florida Fire Marshalls and Inspectors Association, 02/2019-Present
Courses And Seminars Attended
* THE NAME OF THE COURSE, THE DATE OF THE COURSE, AND WAS IT TESTED MATERIAL ARE ALL LISTED.
- BUILDING A DRONE PROGRAM, USING UAV IN FIRE INVESTIGATION 10/31/2024 YES
- EV BUS FIRES 10/31/2024 YES
- ALTERNATE FUELS VEHICLES FIRST RESPONDER SAFETY TRAINING 10/29/2024 YES
- SOLAR POWER AND THE FIRE INVESTIGATOR 10/28/2024 YES
- EXPLOSION DYNAMICS 07/15/2024 YES
- MOTOR VEHICLES: TRANSMISSION,EXHAUST,BRAKE, AND ACCESORIES 07/15/2024 YES
- FIRE DEATH / ARSON INVESTIGATION 08/21/2024-08/22/2024 NO
- DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY AND THE FIRE INVESTIGATOR 07/15/2024 YES
- POST FLASHOVER FIRES, IAAI- FLORIDA CHAPTER 03/26/2024 YES
- MARINE FIRE INVESTIGATIONS 02/23/2024 YES
- CHALLENGES TO EXPERT QUALIFICATIONS, METHODOLOGY, & OPINIONS 11/08/2023 YES
- A WALK IN THE WOODS - WILDLAND FIRE INVESTIGATION 11/08/2023 YES
- HYPOTHESES DEVELOPMENT IN FIRE INVESTIGATION; THEORY AND PRACTICE 11/06/2023 YES
- NFPA 1500 ADVANCED HAZWOPER AWARENESS (MOD # 1) 05/25/2023 YES
- INVESTIGATING LIGHTING STRIKE FIRES 11/09/2023 YES
- MAKING ARSON CASES STRONGER FOR PROSECUTION 11/07/2023 YES
- FUNDAMENTALS OF INTERVIEWING 03/11/2023 YES
- ELECTRICAL TRAINING 11/08/2022 YES
- FUEL GAS FIRE & EXPLOSION INVESTIGATION TRAINING 11/08/2022 YES
- MOTOR VEHICLES: THE ENGINE AND THE IGNITION, ELECTRICAL, AND FUEL SYSTEMS 11/08/2022, YES
- INVESTIGATING COMMERCIAL KITCHEN FIRES, 11/07/2022, YES
- REACHING IN! MENTAL WELLNESS STRATEGIES FOR FIRST RESPONDERS, 11/07/2022, YES
- THE IMPACT OF VENTILATION ON ROOM FIRES AND FIRE PATTERNS, 11/10/2021, YES
- PUTTING MORE SCIENCE IN YOUR SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIONS, 11/09/2021, YES
- NFPA AND FIRE INVESTIGATION, 11/09/2021, YES
- EFFECTIVE INVESTIGATION AND TESTIMONY, 04/13/2021, YES
- INTRODUCTION TO FIRE DYNAMICS AND MODELING, 01/14/2021, YES
- UNDERSTANDING UNDETERMINED, 04/19/2020, YES
- CHARTING YOUR CAREER PATH IN FIRE INVESTIGATION, 04/09/2020, YES
- FUNDAMENTALS OF RESIDENTIAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTION, 03/20/2020, YES
- SEARCH AND SEIZURE, 01/07/2020, YES
- FIRE FLOW ANALYSIS, 01/07/2020, YES
- PHYSICAL EVIDENCE AT THE FIRE SCENE, 01/07/2020, YES
- DOCUMENTING THE EVENT, 01/07/2020, YES
- THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD FOR FIRE AND EXPLOSION INVESTIGATION, 12/21/2019, YES
- FIRE INVESTIGATOR SCENE SAFETY, 12/21/2019, YES
- FIRE INVESTIGATION FOR FIRE OFFICERS, 11/30/2019, YES
- USING RESOURCES TO VALIDATE YOUR HYPOTHESIS, 11/30/2019, YES
- INVESTIGATING FATAL FIRES, 11/30/2019, YES
- EVIDENCE EXAMINATION: WHAT HAPPENS AT THE LAB?, 11/30/2019, YES
- ETHICS AND THE FIRE INVESTIGATOR, 06/30/2019, YES
- DNA, 06/15/2019, YES
- NFPA1033 AND YOUR CAREER, 06/15/2019, YES
- THE PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NFPA 1033 AND NFPA 921, 02/21/2019, YES
- AN ANALYSIS OF THE STATION NIGHTCLUB FIRE, 02/20/2019, YES
- ESTABLISHING VIABLE AND PERSUASIVE THEORIES IN FORENSIC INVESTIGATION AND LITIGATION, 10/17/2017, YES
- FIRE BEHAVIOR, 10/16/2017, YES
- CODES AND STANDARDS, 06/16/2017, YES
- RT-130: ANNUAL WILDLAND FIRE SAFETY REFRESHER (MOD #4), 05/25/2017, YES
- RT-130: ANNUAL WILDLAND FIRE SAFETY REFRESHER (MOD #3), 05/24/2017, YES
- RT-130: ANNUAL WILDLAND FIRE SAFETY REFRESHER (MOD #2), 05/14/2017, YES
- RT-130: ANNUAL WILDLAND FIRE SAFETY REFRESHER (MOD #1), 05/14/2017, YES
- CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS AND PLANS REVIEW, 03/10/2017, YES
- PROPANE EMERGENCIES TRAINING, 02/28/2017, YES
- POST BLAST INVESTIGATIONS, 09/23/2016, YES
- LATENT INVESTIGATIONS, 02/12/2016, YES
- FIRE CHEMISTRY, 02/05/2016, YES
- LEGAL ISSUES FOR INVESTIGATORS, 11/20/2015, YES
- ARSON INVESTIGATION, 09/18/2015, YES
- PRIVATE FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEMS I, 09/04/2015, YES
- FIRE PREVENTION PRACTICES, 06/12/2015, YES
- FIRE INVESTIGATION: ORIGIN AND CAUSE, 05/15/2015, YES
- BUILDING CONSTRUCTION FOR THE FIRE SERVICE, 05/01/2015, YES
- NFA (0465) ICS-300: INTERMEDIATE ICS FOR EXPANDING INCIDENTS, 04/15/2015, YES
- FIRE SERVICE COURSE DESIGN, 03/27/2015, YES
- FLORIDA STATE-WIDE EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN (SERP), 03/18/2015, YES
- FIRE SERVICE COURSE DELIVERY, 01/09/2015, YES
- INVESTIGATING MOTOR VEHICLE FIRES, 10/07/2015, YES
- INTRODUCTION TO EVIDENCE, 10/07/2015, YES
- ARC MAPPING BASICS, 10/04/2015, YES
- HOW FIRST RESPONDERS IMPACT THE FIRE INVESTIGATION, 09/30/2015, YES
- UNDERSTANDING FIRE THROUGH THE CANDLE EXPERIMENTS, 09/27/2015, YES
Personal Information
Title: Cause and Origin Fire Investigator
Expert Testimony
- The Sixth Judicial Circuit, Pasco, Civil, 06/2019
- The Sixth Judicial Circuit, Pasco, Civil, 12/2023
Timeline
Origin and Cause Investigator/ Fire Safety Inspector II
Pasco County Fire Rescue
02.2017 - Current
Firefighter/EMT
Pasco County Fire Rescue
11.2003 - 02.2017
AS - Fire Science
Columbia Southern University
BA - Fire Department Administration with a concentration in Fire Investigation
Columbia Southern University
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