David M. Smith

DAVID M. SMITH (view David Smith’s Curriculum Vitae in English or Spanish)C.F.I. , R.F.P. David M. Smith brings a multi-disciplinary background to his work as a fire and explosion investigator. His career in fire investigation began in 1971 as the first member of the Arson and Bomb Unit (later the Arson and Homicide Unit) of the Tucson Police Department, where his duties included arson and explosion investigations as well as rendering safe explosive devices. In 1981, Mr. Smith founded Associated Fire Consultants, Inc. Since then, he has conducted fire and explosion investigations for the insurance industry, publicly traded corporations and government agencies throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Mr. Smith’s main areas of specialization are arson motivations, explosions and fuel gas matters. He has been qualified as an expert witness numerous times, having rendered expert testimony in federal and state courts in the United States and Canada on over 170 occasions.

A speaker in much demand, Mr. Smith has taught fire and explosion investigation courses to over 100 different fire, police and insurance associations and government agencies across the United States and internationally. He has also developed and taught courses targeting civil and criminal trial attorneys and prosecutors. His work in the field has been recognized by his peers through a number of awards including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Award of Appreciation, the International Association of Arson Investigators (‘IAAI’) Distinguished Service and Life Member Awards, and the IAAI Arizona Chapter’s Life Member Award. Mr. Smith has been named to Who’s Who in Arizona, Who’s Who in Science and Technology, Who’s Who of Outstanding Americans and Who’s Who in the World. As a Past President of the IAAI, he continues to serve as an ex officio member of its Board of Directors. His credentials also include the designation of Certified Fire Investigator through the International Association of Arson Investigators. Mr. Smith is the only non-British citizen to be registered as a Fire Scene Examiner through the Council for the Registration of Forensic Practitioners of the United Kingdom.

Mr. Smith has published articles on diverse topics within his field and was involved with The National Institute of Standard and Technology (NIST) in the development of scientific test burn protocols. He has been a member of the National Fire Protection Association’s Fire Investigations Committee (responsible for NFPA 921) since before the publication of the 1992 Edition and is the representative of the International Fire Service Training Association (‘IFSTA’) to that committee. Serving as a member of IFSTA he has contributed his expertise to the publication of several instructional manuals on fire investigation that are currently utilized by fire departments and law enforcement throughout the world. Through his membership in The Technical Working Group on Fire and Explosions (TWGFEX) he has assisted the U.S. Department of Justice and the National Center for Forensic Science in their publication of Research Reports for public safety personnel regarding fire and arson scene evidence.