History of the Iowa Chapter International Association of Arson Investigators

Transcription

1 History of the Iowa Chapter International Association of Arson Investigators Iowa Chapter IAAI 2014 Written by Alan L. Clark, Chapter Historian Grinnell, Iowa 7/07/14

2 HISTORY OF THE IOWA CHAPTER INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ARSON INVESTIGATORS The Iowa Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI) was originally formed as Chapter 28 and received their charter from the parent organization at the Annual General Meeting of the IAAI held in Anaheim, CA in April IAAI President H. Ray Vliet signed the original charter April 26, 1978 as did Secretary Robert E. May. Three years later the IAAI board of directors suspended the chapter charter. The suspension was due to failing to file required reports and chapter inactivity. The March 31, 1981 board of directors minutes from the IAAI indicated that Chapter Committee Chairman B. W. Scott (OK) recommended the Iowa Chapter be suspended for a period of one year due to failure to comply with the chapter rules and regulations of the IAAI. A motion was made by Director Dean Price (KS), seconded by Director Robert Doran Sr. (NY) and motion carried. REORGANIZATION In April 1982 in conjunction with the Annual General Meeting of the IAAI held in St. Louis, MO a group from Iowa met concerning the chapter suspension. Iowa Assistant Fire Marshal Reynold Hentges called the meeting. By early summer 1983 the framework for a new chapter was ready for a public hearing. A meeting was held June 6, 1983 in Des Moines, IA with invitations having been sent out to various fire service, law enforcement, insurance and other related organizations who might have an interest in combating arson and getting the chapter up and running again. A draft copy of a new constitution and bylaws was ready for review. The new constitution was designed to have representatives from five sections so no one group or area could dominate. Those sections were insurance, prosecution, prevention, investigation and detection. Board members were to serve three-year terms with the positions being staggered so no more than two positions expired annually. Officers were to be elected to a one-year term. Investigation at the time indicated that all previous funds collected by the chapter had been donated to a volunteer fire department and spent. The chapter was starting over with no funds, officers, directors or usable constitution and by-laws. In addition, it was found that chapter number 28 was issued to the PA Chapter and if Iowa were to get their charter back the chapter would be assigned number 30.

3 NEW OFFICERS / DIRECTORS ELECTED AT ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING REYNOLD HENTGES Interim officers and directors were elected at the organizational meeting and served until the first annual business meeting where they could be voted on by the membership. At the organizational meeting the chapter dues were set at $5 annually and the first 50 membership numbers were set aside for the first officers and organizers of the chapter. Reynold Hentges as the first President and the person who got the chapter back on solid ground was issued membership card number 1. Vice President Jason Johnson received card number 2 and Secretary / Treasurer Alan Clark was card number 3. Directors then received card numbers 4 8. As of 2002 most of the membership numbers between 10 and 50 have not been used. The first business meeting and training seminar was held October 31 and November 1, 1983 at the Des Moines Police Department Recreation Building in Pleasant Hill, IA. The day and a half-training seminar was $20 for Iowa Chapter members, $25 for nonmembers and included lunch both days. The first official election was held the afternoon of November 1. All interim officers and directors were re-elected to the post they had held for four months. The first officers and directors for the re-organized chapter were: President -- Reynold Hentges Iowa Fire Marshal s Office Vice-President Jason Johnson Des Moines Fire Department Secretary / Treasurer -- Alan Clark Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company Director Investigation Section Dennis Morgan Des Moines Police Department Director Investigation Section Michael Childs Ames Fire Department Director Detective Section Vern Larson Clinton fire Department Director Insurance Section Roger Barge Farm Bureau Insurance Company Director-at-Large Carl Svenson State Fire Marshal s Office Director Prosecution Section Open Seat CHAPTER REINSTATEMENT On April 28, 1984 the IAAI Chapter s Committee Chairman James Jessup reported to the IAAI board of directors that the committee was recommending the suspension be lifted and the Iowa Chapter charter be reinstated. At that time Iowa was designed as Chapter number 30.

4 1983 SEMINAR FLYER

5 FIRST SEMINAR CERTIFICATE NEWSLETTER 1985 marked the beginning of what was later named the Firefax newsletter. The first edition was dated January 1985 and was composed and printed by AID Insurance Company (Mutual). AID later became Allied Group Insurance Company. Allied Group Insurance continued to print the newsletter from 1985 until the summer of In August 1993 Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company began printing the newsletter and continued until early Both Allied Group Insurance and Grinnell Mutual composed and printed the newsletter at no charge to the Iowa Chapter for about nine years each. Starting in 2002 the newsletter was produced on the Chapter s web site. At first the newsletter had no official name so the board authorized a name the newsletter contest with the winner to receive $25. David Thomas won the contest with the title FIREFAX The first newsletter editor was Sam Reaves who was serving as Vice President in For several years the editor s duties fell to the serving vice-president. Later different individuals served several years as editor. Three of the longer serving editors were Ken Kempenaar of Allied Group Insurance, Terry Duncan and Kevin Dunkin of Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company.

6 AWARDS The Iowa Chapter has three different times received the James L Smith Outstanding Chapter Award. The Chapter first received the award in 1986, received the award a second time in 1993 and for the third time in Iowa Chapter members have also received individual awards from the International Association of Arson investigators. Those awards include the following: Wilbur Johnson Distinguished Service Award 1974 Wilbur Johnson Life Membership Award 1984 Alan L. Clark Distinguished Service Award 1987 Alan L. Clark Life Membership Award 1999 Alan L. Clark President s Award 2001 Kevin L. Dunkin Photographic Award 2002 IOWA CHAPTER MEMBERS ELECTED TO INTERNATIONAL OFFICE Wilbur Johnson, Iowa Fire Marshal for over twenty-five years was elected to the IAAI board of directors in He served on the board until his election as second vice- President in He served as second vice- President from 1972/1973, first vice-president from 1973/1974 and as president of the IAAI from 1974 / Johnson served on many IAAI committees over the years and helped bring the IAAI annual general meeting to Des Moines, IA. Wilbur was awarded the Life Membership Award from both the International Association of Arson Investigators and the Iowa Chapter of the IAAI.

7 Alan Clark, Assistant Vice President / Special Investigations, Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company joined GMRC in He was elected to the IAAI board of directors in He served on the board until his election as vice-president in After serving as second and first vice-president he served as president of the IAAI from 1996 / In May 2000 Clark was named Executive Director for the IAAI and served through December Clark has also served numerous terms as President of the IAAI Educational Foundation. He also has served as chairman of numerous IAAI committee s over the years. He has been awarded the Life Membership Award of both the International Association of Arson Investigators and the Iowa Chapter IAAI. Jeff Hutcheson, Retired, Assistant Chief, Council Bluffs, Iowa Fire Department was elected to the IAAI Foundation, Inc. and served from May 2010 May Jeff served as a member of the Iowa Chapter board and as president 2006 / He was the second Iowa Chapter member to serve on the foundation board.

8 IOWA CHAPTER LIFE MEMBERS Reynold Hentges * 1984 Bud Huffman * 1987 Wilbur Johnson * 1989 Michael Childs 1990 Dick Ward 1992 Alan Clark 1993 Jason Johnson * 1994 Bob Burns, Jr Sam Reaves 1995 Ted Strait 1996 Roger Hegland * 1996 Bill Hanson 1998 Jerry Corbet 1998 Jim Carpenter * 2000 David Proctor 2001 Dennis Chapman 2003 Kevin Dunkin 2003 Chris Van Vleet 2006 Roy Marshall 2007 Jim Kenkel 2012 Mike Hayman 2013 *Deceased IOWA CHAPTER PRESIDENTS Reynold J. Hentges 1983 / 1984 Jason D. Johnson 1984 / 1985 Sam Reaves Jr / 1986 Michael T. Childs 1986 / 1987 Robert D. Burns Jr / 1989 Alan L. Clark 1989 / 1991 Robert D. Burns Jr / 1993 Willard Bill Hanson 1993 / 1996 Curt Stowell 1996 / 1997 Dennis Chapman 1997 / 2000 Roger A. Heglund 2000 / 2001 Kevin L Dunkin 2001 / 2002 John L. McMahon 2002 / 2003 Roger Jensen 2003 / 2005 Mike Brown 2005 / 2006 Jeff Hutcheson 2006 / 2009 Chris Van Vleet 2009 / 2012 Mark Crooks 2012 /2014

9 John Grier 2014/ SECRETARY / TREASURERS Alan Clark 1983 / 1989 Doug Truex 1989 / 1991 Roger Heglund 1991 / 1997 Darren Brown 1997 / 1999 Kelly LaFollette 1999 / 2002 Becky Nelson 2002 / 2004 Kelly LaFollette 2004 / 2005 Becky Nelson 2005 / 2012 Paul O Connell 2012 / CHAPTER CHAPLAIN Ted Strait was the first chaplain for the chapter. Ted began his duties by giving the invocation at the annual business meeting. In 1989 he was officially named Chapter Chaplain and has started each business meeting and banquet with an invocation and concluded both events with a benediction. He has served the Chapter from 1983 until In 1996 Ted received the chapter s Life Membership Award. The Chapter now has it second Chaplain, Todd Hartzler. TED STRAIT

10 SERVICE AS MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Carl Svenson Dennis Morgan Roger Barge Michael Childs Vern Larson Bob Burns Ken Kempenaar David J. W. Proctor Roy Marshall Dennis L. Marshall Ron D. Snyder Larry Bachmann Wayne Yochum Roger Heglund Jason Johnson Daniel Branstetter Alan Clark Terry Duncan Dennis Chapman Jim Kenkel David King Roger Furrow Chris Paine Bob Burns Steve Ryder Douglas Duncan Larry Wyatt Chris Van Vleet Pat Yates Mark Hanson Rick Boots Sean O Brien Dave Boesen Robert Burns Jeff Hutcheson Zack Spykerman Jim Kenkel Brandon Hufford Jess Dunn Mark Crooks John Kraemer John Grier Tony Collins Greg Siembieda 2010 Andrew Burken Jeff Haler 2011 David May Jeff Hutchinson 2012 Kurt Blackburn 2013 Terry Smith Kimberly Shepherd David J. W. Proctor served on the Iowa Chapter Board of Directors for 17 years.

11 LOGO SALES ITEMS In 1986 the chapter began offering members Chapter logo items. The first year the chapter offered a limited number of items that included ball caps, t-shirts and golf shirts. The number of items now offered includes a wide range of items including coffee mugs, t-shirts, golf shirts, hats, jackets and sweatshirts. The first year the chapter had $738 in sales. CERTIFIED FIRE INVESTIGATOR PROGRAM In 1987 Ken Kempenaar then serving as the director of the insurance section promoted the IAAI Certified Fire Investigator (CFI) program and proposed the chapter adopt a certification program. He authored articles in the newsletter and responded to members questions on how the program works. In July all members received an application for the International Association of Arson Investigators CFI program. In 1988 IAAI President John Primrose addressed chapter members at the fall seminar and threw his support behind establishing a CFI program. Today Iowa has many Certified Fire Investigators as a result of Ken s early work and realization that a CFI program would be a benefit to fire investigators. Ken passed away in REGIONAL SEMINARS By 1988 the Iowa Chapter began offering regional seminars throughout the state. Seminars included insurance related topics, programs for volunteer firefighters and other one-day specialized classes dealing with fire investigation. Terry Duncan proposed and organized many of the early regional seminars. DISPLAY BOARD In 1987 the Chapter purchased their first display board to help promote the association. The board was used at the annual fall seminar, annual fire school, Iowa State Fair and other meetings or seminars. Chapter information, newsletters and member application forms were used with the display to promote membership in the chapter. The board was covered with photographs to promote arson awareness and fire investigation. The chapter currently has two display boards for chapter promotion.

12 WEB SITE The twenty-first century brought the chapter into the electronic age when the chapter launched its web site. In November 2001 Richard Boots made a presentation to the board and thereafter they voted to secure the domain name. During the next two months Boots built the site and it went live January 11, During the first month the site received over 1,400 visitors. The web site address is The Chapter can also be found on Facebook AWARD AND OFFICER INSTALLATION BANQUET In 1988 the officers and board instituted an awards and officer installation banquet to be held in conjunction with the fall training seminar and annual business meeting. The banquet program over the years has included the new officers being installed into office, various award presentations including the Life Membership Award, Presidential Recognition Award, past President and Board of Directors service awards and the Reynold Hentges Scholarship. At many of the banquets a keynote speaker or professional entertainer has capped off the evening. The banquet has grown over the years to include many spouses of seminar attendees driving to the seminar site to attend the evening function. SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM The R. C. Hentges Scholarship was established in 1997 in honor of Reynold J. Hentges, first president and life member of the Iowa Chapter IAAI. The program is funded by the chapter and is awarded to a student majoring in fire service, law enforcement, legal (prosecution) or insurance (investigation). Applications for the scholarship are posted on the Iowa Chapter web site. Revised