Robert J. Trenkle, IAAI CFI, CFEI, Fire Investigator 1950 Sequoia Trail, Owosso MI 48867 800-326-5980 robert.trenkle@efiglobal.com Professional Summary: Mr. Trenkle has more than 46 years of experience conducting fire investigations to determine fire cause, with the City of Detroit Fire Department and in the private sector since 1981. He has over 2000 hours of educational training in the fire investigation field at seminars and in college classrooms. Mr. Trenkle has been qualified as an expert in criminal and civil cases in various states, in Canada and has investigated fires to determine cause throughout North America, including Mexico. Mr. Trenkle has taught two fire investigation classes at Madonna University, Livonia, MI for the past 28 years, teaching a basic and advanced class in fire investigation techniques. Licenses and Certifications: Certified Fire Investigator, IAAI, #05-006 Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator, NAFI, #6983-2550 Project Experience: Numerous explosion investigations from single family dwellings to large commercial and industrial complexes involving deflagrations, (heavier than air flammable/combustible liquid vapors and lighter than air natural gas, etc.) and detonations involving dynamite, C4, etc., over the country. Multi-unit commercial building housing dozens of tenants and over 1 million square feet of space in Juarez, Mexico, over 500 million loss. An industrial complex in Santa Rosa, CA which totaled the building, which was leveled the result of an ADM machine, over 200 million loss. An industrial manufacturing plant involving plastic injection molding, 400 million dollar loss involving employee error, Brighton, MI. Numerous other multi-million dollar commercial losses throughout the years. Professional Experience: 6/16 Present - EFI Global, Inc. 3/00 Present - Certified Investigations International 1
6/99-2/00 - Crawford Investigation Services 4/82-5/99 - R. J. Trenkle Consulting & Investigations Group 06/81-3/82 - Trenkle & Buckley Fire Investigations & Loss Prevention Consultants Member of the City of Detroit Fire Department for 22 years, ten years of which were served in the Fire Marshal Division as a Fire Prevention Inspector and a Fire Investigator, in the Arson Section. Investigated in excess of 11,000 fires to determine fire causation. Qualified, certified expert in fire causation, giving sworn testimony in various jurisdictions; local, state and federal, in excess of 1,000 times. Specialized Education: Oakland County Association of Arson and Fire Investigators, Inc. 35 th Annual Origin & Cause Seminar Electrical Investigations Busting Some Myths May 11, 2007 8 hours Oakland County Association of Arson and Fire Investigators, Inc. 36 th Annual Origin & Cause Seminar What We re Seeing Current Trends in Fire Investigation May 1-2, 2008 16 hours Oakland County Association of Arson and Fire Investigators, Inc. 37 th Annual Origin & Cause Seminar Forensic Fire Scene Reconstruction April 30-May 1, 2009 16 hours Michigan Arson Prevention Committee Structural & Mobile Property Fire Accident Damage Analysis Investigation June 19, 2009 8 hours International Association of Arson Investigations, Inc. Motive, Means and Opportunity: Determining Responsibility in an Arson Case July 11, 2009 4 hours International Association of Arson Investigations, Inc. Physical Evidence at the Fire Scene July 11, 2009 4 hours Oakland County Association of Arson and Fire Investigators, Inc. 38 th Annual Origin & Cause Seminar Anatomy of a Fire Investigation April 29-30, 2010 16 hours 2
, Inc. Fundamentals of Interviewing August 20, 2010 4 hours International Symposium on Fire Investigation Science and Technology University of Maryland September 27-29, 2010 Automobile Fire Investigation Regional Training Seminar Dearborn, Michigan November 3, 2010 8 Hours Search and Seizure February 3, 2011 4 hours Oakland County Association of Arson and Fire Investigators, Inc. 39 th Annual Origin & Cause Seminar Trends in Fire Investigation April 28-29, 2011 16 hours International Symposium on Fire Investigation Science and Technology University of Maryland October 15-17, 2012 International Symposium on Fire Investigation The 10 Most common Fire Scene Errors September 19, 2013 2 hours International Association of Fire Investigators Anatomy of a Wrongful Arson Conviction February 18, 2014 2 hours NFPA 921 and 1033 2014 Editions: Important Revisions February 20, 2014 3 hours The Scientific Method for Fire and Explosion Investigation February 20, 2014 3 hours A Ventilation-Focused Approach to the Impact of Building Structures and Systems on Fire February 20, 2014 4 hours Effective Investigation and Testimony February 20, 2014 3 hours 3
An Analysis of the Station Nightclub Fire February 21, 2014 4 hours Insurance and the Fire Investigation February 24, 2014 4 hours Critical Thinking Solves Cases February 24, 2014 4 hours Arc Mapping Basics February 24, 2014 4 hours Charleston Sofa Super Store Fire February 24, 2014 4 hours Communicating the Value of Membership in the IAAI February 25, 2014 Digital Photography and the Fire Investigator February 25, 2014 4 hours DNA February 25, 2014 3 hours Documenting the Event February 25, 2014 4 hours Electrical Safety February 25, 2014 3 hours Ethics and Social Media February 26, 2014 3 hours Ethics and the Fire Investigator February 26, 2014 3 hours Evidence Examination: What Happens at the Lab? 4
February 26, 2014 4 hours Explosion Dynamics February 26, 2014 4 hours Fundamentals of Residential Building Construction February 27, 2014 3 hours Fire Investigator Scene Safety February 27, 2014 3 hours Fire Protection Systems February 27, 2014 3 hours How First Responders Impact the Fire Investigation February 27, 2014 2 hours Introduction to Evidence February 27, 2014 4 hours Investigating Fatal Fires February 28, 2014 4 hours Investigating Motor Vehicle Fires February 28, 2014 4 hours MagnaTek: A Case Study in the Daubert Challenge February 28, 2014 2 hours Introduction to Fire Dynamics and Modeling March 1, 2014 4 hours Managing Complex Fire Scene Investigations March 1, 2014 4 hours NFPA 1033 and Your Career March 1, 2014 2 hours 5
Post Flashover Fires March 1, 2014 4 hours Preparation for the Marine Fire Scene March 1, 2014 4 hours The Practical Application of the Relationship Between NFPA 1033 and NFPA 921 March 1, 2014 2 hours Understanding Fire through the Candle Experiments March 1, 2014 4 hours The HAZWOPER Standard March 2, 2014 4 hours The Potential Value of Electronic Evidence in Fire Investigations March 2, 2014 4 hours Vacant and Abandoned Buildings: Hazards and Solutions March 2, 2014 4 hours Writing the Initial Origin and Cause Report March 2, 2014 3 hours Using Resources to Validate your Hypothesis March 2, 2014 2 hours Wildland Fires Investigation March 3, 2014 5 hours International Training Conference Clark County, Las Vegas, Nevada April 13-18, 2014 40 hours 2014 IL Expert Report Writing July 20, 2014 8 hours 6
International Symposium on Fire Investigation Science and Technology University of Maryland September 22-24, 2014 The Deposition Part 1: Format, Content and Preparation February 13, 2015 3 hours The Deposition Part 2: Questioning Tactics and Effective Responses March 1, 2015 3 hours Fire Science Seminar Smith, Rolfes & Skavdahl Company LPA July 17-18, 2015 Accreditation, Certification, and Certificates May 19, 2016 3 hours Basic Electricity May 21, 2016 4 hours Introduction to Youth-Set fires May 21, 2016 3 hours Legal Aspects of Investigating Youth-Set Fires May 21, 2016 3 hours Investigating Fire and Explosion Incidents Involving a Line-Of-Duty Death May 21, 2016 3 hours Residential Natural Gas Systems May 22, 2016 3 hours Investigating Natural Gas Systems May 22, 2016 3 hours Residential Electrical Systems May 22, 2016 4 hours International Symposium on Fire Investigation Science and Technology Scottsdale, Arizona 7
September 12-14, 2016 Education: Shrine High School, Royal Oak, MI Diploma, 1964 Affiliations: National Fire Protection Association (N.F.P.A.) Member: Fire Science and Technology Educator's Section and Fire Service Section (I.A.A.I.) Past Member: Training and Education Committee Juvenile Firesetter Committee National Association of Fire Investigators (N.A.F.I.) Oakland County Association of Arson and Fire Investigators (O.C.A.A.F.I.) Past Member: Training and Education Committee, Past Director and Past President Detroit Fire Fighters Association (D.F.F.A.) (retired) Michigan Council of Professional Investigators, Inc. Federal Investigators Association Charter Member Courses Instructed/ Guest Lecturer: 1977 - Present: Lecturer at various colleges and seminars instructing in the field of fire investigation, in conjunction with local State and Federal Government agencies and National Auto Theft Bureau. 1985 - Present: Instructor at Madonna University, Livonia, Michigan, "Fire and Arson Investigation", and "Fire and Arson Investigative Techniques". Publications and Presentations: Proceedings ISFI 2012, International Symposium on Fire Investigation Science and Technology, Careless Cooking Fires. Proceedings ISFI 2014, International Symposium on Fire Investigation Science and Technology, A Fire Investigator Inquiry 2014 NFPA 921 & 1033. 8
Proceedings IFSI 2014, International Symposium on Fire Investigation Science and Technology, Testing the Hypothesis The Detroit, Michigan Experience. Proceedings ISFI 2014, International Symposium on Fire Investigation Science and Technology, Wrongful Arson Conviction: Case Review and Discussion. Publications: Careless Cooking Fires, 2012, ISFI A Fire Investigator Inquiry 2014 NFPA 921 & 1033, 2014, ISFI Wrongful Arson Conviction, 2014, ISFI Testing the Hypothesis The Detroit, Michigan Experience, 2014, ISFI 50 Years Past Present and Future: What s Good! What Could Be Better?, 2016, ISFI Detroit, Michigan The Real Fire Statistics, 2016, ISFI Show Me the Proof (Does a Trial and Subsequent Conviction Really Mean the Fire was an Arson/Murder?), 2016, ISFI Honors and Awards: Awards and Citations: Detroit Fire Department Distinguished Service Awards, Commissioner's Citation and Scholastic Honors in the Fire and Police Academies. City of Detroit Fire Commission Distinguished Service Award April 24, 1967 City of Detroit Fire Department Fire Marshal Division Award Recipient September 24, 1968 Michigan Department of Education Division of Vocational Education Certificate of Appreciation May 1983, Centerline, Michigan Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America R. J. Trenkle Consulting Elected as a Business Member June 3, 1983 National Conference on Fire Investigation Instruction 1 st Annual National Conference Certificates of Attendance and Appreciation as a Speaker 9
Fire Investigation Instruction New Orleans, Louisiana January 12 & 13, 1990 National Fire Protection Association Participant in a Symposium Arson Control in the 1990s Houston, Texas January 15-17, 1991 International Association of Fire Educators Certificate of Achievement Certified Juvenile Firesetter Specialist II June 20, 1991 West Central Wisconsin Fire Investigators Association Seminar Speaker Understanding the Juvenile Firesetter Eau Clair, Wisconsin September 23, 1995 Certified Fire Investigator #05-006 August 12, 1994 Present National Association of Fire Investigators National Certification Board Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator #6983-2550 December 7, 1999 Present **Litigation CV available upon request. 10