About FOCUS
Fire Origin and Cause Using Science
At FOCUS Fire Investigations we believe in providing you with the best resources you need to best present your case whether it be a simple claim, a subrogation issue, or a court trial. As part of the FOCUS values states, will not compromise integrity of our investigations to win a case, we will give you scientific results to provide for the best outcome of your case.
There are several Guides and Standards that fire investigators and fire investigation companies need to follow in order to be fair, accurate, and truthful in their investigations. These standards and Guides apply to all in fire investigation including the investigator who may only have one fire a year to the investigator who may have several fires a day. They also apply to the companies the investigator works for.
The most critical of which are:
NFPA 921 - Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations
Most fire investigators will state that NFPA 921 is the most important document to follow. While it is very important to follow 921 the investigator and the company need to follow the 1033 and 1321 standards. Paying close attention to the words used, Standard and Guide, makes a big difference. 1033 and 1321 are Standards, in other words they must be followed. 921 is a Guide, in other words it should be followed. No fire investigator is required to follow 921; however, when the investigator does not follow 921 he/she needs to be able to justify why not.
NFPA 1033 - Standard for Professional Qualifications for Fire Investigator
Every investigator must meet the standards provided for in NFPA 1033. If an investigator does not meet the standard qualifications the investigator may be challenged in court and will likely lose that challenge. Every FOCUS fire investigator meets and/or exceeds the 1033 standards.
NFPA 1321 - Standard for Fire Investigation Units
The fire investigation company must meet the standards (soon to be published) provided for in NFPA 1321. Even when an investigator meets 1033, the company and equipment the investigator works with needs to meet NFPA 1321.
There are a number of other publications that deal with fire investigations, not just the Origin and Cause, but the engineering and scientific side and the legal side of the overall fire investigation.
Our main office is near Grand Junction, Colorado with a second office in Pocatello, Idaho. We provide services to Colorado, Idaho, North Carolina, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. Soon to be in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Depending on specific state statutes and licensing requirements, we can also handle cases in other states.
FOCUS can handle all your fire investigation needs from the original scene inspection including evidence collection, to case review and case analysis, to deposition and expert courtroom testimony.
We have more than 35 years in the fire service and over 20 of that in fire investigations, all fire investigators at FOCUS are IAAI-CFI ®
FOCUS Fire Investigations has the experience and training to handle any of your fire and explosion needs. We can handle the very simple incident to complex incidents. Years of fire service has taught us complex incident management, but we will not turn a simple fire investigation into a complex one.
FOCUS Fire Investigations will NOT “make your case”! We will find the best solutions for your case using real data and the science behind fire.
FOCUS team members all meet the NFPA 1033 standard qualifications and follow NFPA 921 and the Scientific Method, as well as other well accepted fire investigation books. All have contributed to NFPA, and FOCUS’s owner and chief investigator is a contributing author and editor to Fire Investigator—Principles and Practice to NFPA 921 and 1033.
At FOCUS we love to burn things to learn how the fire really started and progressed. We won't guess at an ignition, we will prove it with research and experiments when necessary, hence the name FOCUS—Fire Origin and Cause Using Science.
Meet the TEAM
Kevin Crawford started his fire service career as a volunteer with the Vail (Colorado) Fire Department in 1980, then as a fulltime firefighter in 1983 when he started with the Provo (Utah) Fire Department. After a few years with Provo he discovered his passion for fire investigations and in 2003 Kevin retired from Provo to become a Fire Investigator with the Fire Prevention Division of North Metro Fire Rescue District in Broomfield, Colorado. Since that time Kevin’s fire service career has included fire prevention activities, life safety education, training, and conducting fire investigations in both the public and private sector.
Retiring after 34 years of public fire service in 2017, he continued his fire investigation career as a private sector fire investigator eventually starting his own company, FOCUS Fire Investigations, serving the Rocky Mountain area including Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado. He has conducted and assisted in origin and cause investigations for insurance companies, manufacturers and legal counsels.
Kevin also presents and teaches classes for the IAAI on fire investigations, NFPA 921, interviewing, and fire training; he is an alternate on the NFPA 1321 Committee; and sits on the IAAI EP&G Committee.
His favorite training is conducting live burns which assist fire investigators in understanding how and why the fire did what it did.
He is a past Training Coordinator and President of the Colorado Chapter and past Director of the International Association of Arson Investigators. In addition to Director he served as the Chairman of the IAAI’s Health and Safety Committee.
Kevin and Carrie currently live near Grand Junction, Colorado.
Glen Powell started his fire service career in 1983 when he joined a small volunteer fire department. Interestingly, one of the first classes Glen attended was the off campus version of the National Fire Academy’s Fire/Arson Detection; Glen has had an interest in fire investigation ever since.
In 1992, Glen began what would be an almost 28-year career with Pocatello (Idaho) Fire Department. During his career Glen held positions as firefighter/EMT, driver/operator, company officer, and code enforcement officer among others. Throughout his career, and as Captain of the Fire Prevention Bureau, Glen was able to continue training and gaining experience in the fire investigation discipline. In 2008, Glen became a full-time member of the departments fire investigation team. In 2016, Glen became a Certified Fire Investigator (CFI) through the International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI), and in 2020 gained certification as a Certified Instructor, also with the IAAI. Glen enjoys sharing knowledge of fire investigation with others, particularly those just getting started in the field.
Glen has been a member of the International Association of Arson Investigators and the Idaho Chapter since 2011; A member of both the Nevada and Utah Chapters since 2018. Glen served on the Idaho Chapter training committee from 2015-2016, was elected 2nd Vice President in 2017; 1st Vice President in 2018, then Chapter President in 2019. Glen has attended each IAAI International Training Conference (ITC) since joining the Association. (2020 & 2021 conferences cancelled due to COVID)
Glen is married to his wife Joni of 28 years. They enjoy traveling, visiting with friends and family, and especially attending the International Association of Arson Investigator’s International Training Conference each year!