SWAIT Newsletter
Welcome to the SWAIT newsletter. We periodically posts to this page. Our covered topics include links to news articles related to wildland arson, article analysis, arson and fire investigation training, SWAIT training updates and original content. Every few months, we will combine the posts into an email newsletter. If you would like to receive the newsletter please subscribe.
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PMS412 2025 Update
The new version of PMS412 Guide to Wildland Fire Origin and Cause Determination has been released. A pdf copy can be obtained from the NWCG website.
How to Keep SWAIT Newsletter Out of Your Junk Folder
Junk mail sucks! But sometimes emails we want to see end up in the junk folder. Over half of our subscribers are not getting the periodic newsletter emails we send out. Make sure to add newsletter@swaitreno.com to your safe sender list today. We’ve created a tutorial on how to add SWAIT (and other email addresses) to your safe sender list. Check it out! Junk Mail Filter Tutorial
AI Expert Witness
Have you ever taken a moment to consider the possibility of using AI technology to assist you on a case? Would you be comfortable allowing AI to take on the task of writing your report? Or would you trust AI enough to take its advice when acting as an expert witness?
Digital Evidence Integrity
Have you ever taken a screenshot of a text message or social media post for one of your cases? You may want to rethink how you collect digital evidence. Forbes’s Lars Daniel takes a deep dive into the validity of digital evidence in his article Can Screenshots Of Text Messages Be Used As Digital Evidence In Court?
Axe Body Spray Arsonist
Bureau of Land Management Special Agents search the country for the Axe Body Spray Arsonist. The arsonist is believed to have started fires using ignited axe body spray. Special Agents are attempting to link the suspect through DNA found at the fire scene. WMBF News article Affidavit: Authorities request DNA to connect Surfside Beach man to California wildfire arson by Kristin Nelson dives deeper into the story. Make sure to check out the attached Federal Application for Search Warrant and Affidavit attached to the story.
Cotton Ball Arsonist
A Long Island New York volunteer firefighter arrested and charged with arson. The New York times, in the article Firefighter Charged With Arson Said He Put Lit Cotton Balls Under Car, reports the suspect used cotton balls to ignite vehicles and brush.
The Power of an Arsonist
Are arson fires on the rise in California? Is climate change making the fires worse? The Heatmap.news article The Fire Condition We Can’t Control For by journalist Jeva Lange dives into arson fires in California. She interviewed SWAIT Contributor Ed Nordskog for the article.
Shoe Impression Arson Caper
How often have you done shoe or tire impression casting in your career? Don’t overlook the investigative gold you might be missing by failing to cast.
The Cleanup Arsonist
Have you heard this before? “I am not an arsonist. I was just cleaning up vegetation, debris, garbage etc.” If you have worked enough arson cases, gone to enough trainings or read a few arson books, you’ve probably have heard this line before.
Registration for SWAIT Reno 2025 is Open!
The time has come to start registering for SWAIT Reno 2025. The training will be February 25-27 at the Regional Public Safety Training Center in Reno, NV. Check out our line up for the year.
SWAIT Reno 2025 On Demand Virtual Option
Want to come to the SWAIT Reno 2025 but cannot make it? For 2025 we are introducing an on demand (virtual) option. Check out our website for additional details.
Part 2: Murder, Arson, and Case Linkage in the Wildlands
This is a two part series. In our first story, we will look at an abbreviated synopsis of a complex and dynamic criminal investigation conducted by the U.S. Border Patrol and Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, Arizona. In our second story we will look at an abridged version of Ed Nordskog’s analysis of the case for the Pima County District Attorney’s Office. This case depicts a fast-moving criminal investigation using modern techniques and multiple public resources. The Lead Investigator for this case was Detective Shawn Wilson of Pinal County Sheriff’s, Arizona.
Part 1: Murder, Arson, and Case Linkage in the Wildlands
This is a two part series. In our first story, we will look at an abbreviated synopsis of a complex and dynamic criminal investigation conducted by the U.S. Border Patrol and Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, Arizona. In our second story we will look at an abridged version of Ed Nordskog’s analysis of the case for the Pima County District Attorney’s Office. This case depicts a fast-moving criminal investigation using modern techniques and multiple public resources. The Lead Investigator for this case was Detective Shawn Wilson of Pinal County Sheriff’s, Arizona.
What Our Cellphones Track, Even When Location Services Are Turned Off
Last year, Google started taking steps to kill the geofence warrant (article link) making it harder to utilize data collected by Google for investigations. In the linked Forbes article, Locations Service Off? You can Still Be Tracked, by Lars Daniel, Daniels discusses how our cell phones track our every move.
Learn how this technology can be leveraged for arson investigations by joining us for SWAIT Reno 2025. Jeff Bennett with the FBI Cellular Analysis Survey Team (CAST) will be presenting how the FBI can help analyze cellular data for your investigations.
NWCG Wildland Fire Investigation Subcommittee - Updates
The NWCG Wildland Fire Investigation Subcommittee (WFISC) met this past week for their annual in person meeting. The main focus this years meeting was to review the upcoming update to the PMS412 Guide to Wildland Fire Origin and Cause Investigation. The new version is anticipated to be published by Spring.
California Arsonist Profiles
The Marin Independent Journal article Rogues’ Gallery of California Fire Starters: Drunks, Arsonists, Firefighters - Even a Country Star - Linked to Blazes, by Ethan Baron, profiles several of California’s prolific arsonists.
Arsonists in the News
While most news articles on arsonists tend to be light on details, some can provide useful nuggets of information. As an arson investigator, researching arsonists helps bolster our knowledge and confirms or dispels information we have learned throughout our careers. Here at SWAIT, we, from time to time, will analyze specific articles for useful insights and behavior analysis. Checkout our other posts on our Newsletter page.
The following roundup of articles appeared in news outlets over this past summer.
Serial Wildland Arson Investigator Training Update
The 2025 Serial Arson Investigator Training is shaping up. We will be returning to the Regional Public Safety Training Center February 25-27. We have several instructors signed up. We will start updating the website with the schedule and instructor topics in late September. Registration will begin in late October. Visit SWAITReno2025 for training updates.
Texas Volunteer Firefighter Arrested for Arson
Recently, a volunteer firefighter was arrested in Texas for starting several grass fires. Newswest9.com reports several devices used to start the fires were located during the investigation. The article did not expand further on the details of the investigation or the incendiary device construction. While not much more can be learned, at this time, from this specific investigation, we can learn from other cases involving firefighters and arson. While not commonly used, research tells us incendiary devices are more likely to be found in wildland arson than in urban arson. Additionally, firefighter arsonists are more likely to use incendiary devices.
Is it Arson or Something Else? Hiding True Arson Stats
In the article Michigan city’s blight gives rise to increased arson by Ron Fonger (originally posted on mlive.com), the author dives into the arson problem in Flint Mich.