Coast to Coast

Hello everyone! I just returned from our 10th annual SLOFIST training session in the Central Coast of California. We had an amazing course with 70 students from across the country and 1 special friend from across the pond. This year we conducted 14 burn experiments ranging from structure fires, vehicle fires, outdoor incendiary fires, and radiant heat testing. All of the experiments demonstrated unique burn patterns to their respective environments. The duration of the fires lasted from several minutes to over an hour, producing brittle calcined bone for the students to examine. This information enables the students to appreciate how the duration of the fire relates to the heat-related damage to the body as what the investigators see after the fire at actual crime scenes. This hands-on opportunity trains the students how to properly document, handle, and recover burned human remains from fatal fire scenes. Thanks again for the great memories, experiences, and friendships of the 10th annual SLOFIST course.