Welcome to the Missouri Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators website.
About the missouri chapter IAAI
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Our Mission
The mission of the Missouri Chapter of the I.A.A.I. is to unite for mutual benefits those public officials and private persons engaged in the investigation of the origin and cause of fires, for the control of arson and kindred crimes; to provide for exchange of technical information and developments; to encourage cooperation between public service agencies and associations to further fire prevention, investigation and the suppression of crime; to promote high professional standards of conduct among fire investigators and to continually strive to eliminate all factors which interfere with administration of crime suppression; and to foster greater professional competence in the investigative techniques of fires and recognition of the crime of arson.
Our Training Seminar
The Missouri Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators will host its 2026 Annual Training Seminar at the Springfield Oasis Hotel & Convention Center from June 24th to 26th, 2026
This is the Missouri Chapter's 42nd Annual Conference!!!
This year's conference will include the following topics:
Fire Pattern & Fire Effects Analysis: Application of Fire Dynamics Principles
Solar Panel Fires
Dig It Out! Processing a Fire Scene
Mo-iaai officers
Chris Thiemann - President
Jeff Watkins - Vice-President
Jeff Watkins - Vice-President
President Thiemann has been a member of the Missouri Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators for over twenty years. He has a history in fire investigation and fire inspections, and works full-time for a St. Louis metro area fire protection district.
Jeff Watkins - Vice-President
Jeff Watkins - Vice-President
Jeff Watkins - Vice-President
Vice President Watkins has been a member of the Missouri
Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators for
over 18 years. He has a history in fire investigation, the fire
service, and works full-time for an Illinois municipal fire department.
Mike Presson - Secretary
Mike Presson - Secretary
Mike Presson - Secretary
Secretary Presson has been a member of the Missouri Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators for 20 years. He has a history in fire investigations and the fire service and works full-time as a fire investigator for a large insurance company. Besides serving on the Missouri Chapter Board, Mike is on the Technical Committee for NFPA 1321 - Standard for Fire Investigation Units and is a Chapter Liaison for the Missouri, Arkansas, and Iowa Chapters. Mike is the Training and Education Chair and Certifications Chair for the Missouri Chapter.
Bob Catlett - Treasurer
Mike Presson - Secretary
Mike Presson - Secretary
Treasurer Catlett has been a member of the Missouri Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators for over twenty years. He has a history in law enforcement and fire investigations and works full time for a St. Louis metro area police department.
2026
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Membership
To become a member of the Missouri Chapter, you can contact the Director of Membership Jeff Watkins at jdwatkins478@gmail.com
PRO- G Fire Consulting LLC
COLUMBIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY
Anderson Investigations
Semke Forensic, LLC
Fire& Explosion Consultants
Awards
The Missouri Chapter IAAI presents three award categories yearly at the General Meeting. Please complete the award nomination form by clicking on the following link.
Photo of the Year Award (Two Categories)
Arson
Accidental
To submit a photograph for the photo of the year, please email the photographs along with a short description and the completed nomination form to Executive Director James Goebel at
Investigator of the Year
To nominate someone for the Investigator of the Year award, please email the completed nomination form along with a summary of why the nomination has been made and details of the investigation(s) to Executive Director James Goebel at jwflashbulb@hotmail.com
Prosecutor of the Year Award
To nominate someone for the Investigator of the Year award, please email the completed nomination form, a summary of why the nomination has been made, and details of the investigation(s) to Executive Director James Goebel at jwflashbulb@hotmail.com